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THE 



LIFE 

CAMPAIGNS AND BATTLES 



OF 

GENERAL 

ULYSSES S. GRANT 

COMPRISING 

A FULL AND AUTHENTIC ACCOUNT OF THE FAMOUS SOLDIER. 

FROM HIS EARLIEST BOYHOOD TO THE 

PRESENT TIME : 

WITH 

ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE GENERAL'S BIRTHPLACE, 

THE SURRENDER OF FORT DONELSON AND VICKSBURG, 

THE BATTLES OF SHILOH AND CHATTANOOGA, 

TOGETHER WITH 
j\. SUPEEB PORTRAIT. 



j 



" I propose to fight it out on this line if it takes all summer." — Grant to the 
Government. 



New York : 

PUBLISHED BY LEDYARD BILL. 

CHARLES BILL, CHICAGO, ILL. 
1868. 



• 



C.6 

•L-V. 



^4* 






INTRODUCTION. 



Theee are crises in the lives of nations when the task 
of deliverance from calamity or death seems to be com- 
mitted to the wisdom or valor of one man. The annals 
of the race are clustered with illustrations of this truth. 
The history of our Republic affords many examples of 
such instrumentalities working for its highest good under 
the inspiration of God. 

That great events reveal, if not create, great men, is a 
recognized truth as palpable as that sun-heat envelops 
the earth with animal life, and food for its sustenance, 
and clothes the sphere in beauty for the delight of its 
master, Man. The law of Irade expressed by the relative 
words Supply and Demand, works potentially in the 
moral world. There would be no heroes, saints, or sages, 
were they not needed. In calmer periods of profound 
peace and general contentment, soldiers and statesmen 
seldom appear above the common plane of society ; but 
when tempests arise, and political wisdom in council, or 
valiant deeds in the field, are demanded,, competent 
statesmen and soldiers start into view almost as suddenly 
and marvelously as Minerva, 

" Bursting full armed from the brain of Jove." 

The late Civil War afforded a notable example of this 
truth in the career of the Soldier, the events of which 
are briefly recorded in this volume. That war came 



11 INTK0DUCT10N. 

upon the nation like lightning from the clouds, and 
kindled a flame that swept with terrible swiftness over 
the land like a prairie-fire in the autumn. For a moment 
the most hopeful feared that all was lost, and that the 
unnatural conflagration would leave the Eepublic a 
blackened waste. The civil head of the Government 
folded his hands, and piously recommended fasting and 
prayer, while the thunder of active rebellion was bellow- 
ing in the southern sky. The Chief of the Armies was 
almost powerless because of the infirmities of age. The 
most trusted men in civil and military life were found to 
be in practical alliance with the conspirators for the 
overthrow of the Eepublic, that an oligarchy arrayed 
against the people might build upon its ruins a hideous 
empire founded upon injustice and stupendous wrong, 
with an ensign bearing a bold denial of the rights of 
man. 

To the hands of a wise, honest, and righteous citizen 
the reins of government were soon entrusted. Then the 
conspirators made war upon the national life. The 
people were called upon to defend it. Armed men 
seemed to spring from the earth all over the Free-labor 
States like the harvest of a dragons'-teeth seed-time. 
But nearly all were unlearned in the methods of war. 
Officers and implements had to be created. There were 
men in abundance, but few wise leaders. Ambitious and 
even disloyal persons aspired to the high honors of com- 
mand. Blow after blow was awkwardly given and re- 
turned; and a little heavier or more successful one than 
had yet been struck made many a Young Napoleon in 
the estimation of the excited people. But "rocket" 
heroes soon became "sticks," in the pathways of great 
armies strewn with the terrible evidences of their incom- 
petency. 



INTRODUCTION. 



Ill 



Almost three years of strife passed by. More than a 
million of loyal men had gone to the field in defense of 
the national life, and yet that life was in peril. That 
host of armed patriots was broken into fragments, acting 
often without concert at widely separated points. The 
Government and the people were tired of delays, and the 
almost indecisive warfare of posts, as the struggle had 
been, in a great degree, up to that time. It was evident 
to both that proper vigor to secure quick success in 
efforts to crush the rebellion could only be obtained by 
committing the supreme control of the armies in the field 
to one competent commander, and all eyes and hearts 
were turned toward General Grant, whose convictions as 
a patriot and whose ability as a leader were then pre- 
eminently conspicuous. All over the region westward of 
the Appalachian ranges of mountains were the evidences 
of his skill and valor in the destruction or weakening of 
the power of the public enemy. His captures of men and 
munitions of war were manifold greater than those of 
any of his contemporaries. He was a man of few words 
and abundant deeds, and had shown, on all occasions, 
not only military genius of a high order, but evidences 
of sound statesmanship, for he had been often called 
upon to perform the twofold duties of soldier and civil- 
ian in his dealings with the foe. For these reasons he 
was promoted to Lieutenant-General, and placed in com- 
mand of all the Armies of the Republic. He was then a 
few months younger than Washington was when he took 
command of the Continental Armies. 

This appointment thoroughly satisfied the loyal peo- 
ple, and inspirited them with the most buoyant hopes. 
General Grant had shown a proper appreciation of the 
' demands of the crisis. He had no sympathy with a sys- 
tem of warfare which carried the lash of coercion in one 



IV 



INTRODUCTION". 



hand, and the sugar-plums of persuasion in the other. 
That had been tried too long for the national good. lie 
believed the Government to be right, and the rebellion 
against its authority wrong. He knew that compromise, 
with honor to the Republic, was impossible, and his plan 
was to make war with all the terrible intentions of war, 
as the most speedy and effectual way to crush the rebel- 
lion. He knew that such war would be more merciful 
and humane than its opposite ; that sharp, decisive bat- 
tles, waged not exclusively for any post, but for the 
destruction of his adversary's armies, would require fewer 
lives and less treasure than feeble blows, which would 
wound but not destroy. 

With these views, and with rare wisdom and sagacity 
in his choice of men to help him, the Lieutenant-General 
organized his armies, and planned his campaigns ; and, 
with the spirit of his declaration on the sanguinary field 
of Spottsylvania Court-House, — " I propose to fight it out 
on this line if it takes all summer," he made war, and 
ended the rebellion. He is one of the most silent-tongued 
of men, yet in his noble character and wondrous deeds 
there is an eloquence that thrills the feelings, and wins 
the hearts of the loyal people, by whom he is more 
honored and beloved than any other living citizen. 



3< 



1**. 






LIST OF CONTENTS. 



Introduction. 



Chapter I. — Grant's Early Days. 



PAOB 
3 



Birth and birth-place — Name, and how he obtained it — Where he 
was educated — "What is the meaning of Can't?" — The horse 
trade — He fights to defend the name of Washington 13 

Chapter II. — At West Point. 

When admitted and by whose influence — Advancing through the 
classes — What he learned each year — His graduation — His class- 
mates — Pertinacity of character — " Comr any Grant" 20 

Chapter III. — Enters the Army. 

Mexican War — Brevet Second-Lientennnt of Infantry — Employed 
on the Missouri frontier — Ordered to Texas — Fully commissioned 
— Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma — Rio Grande — Monterey — 
Vera Cruz — Molino del Rey — Chapultepec — Brevets-First-Lieu- 
tenant — Mentioned in official reports — Regimental companions.. . 30 

Chapter IV. — Subsequent Services and Resignation. 

Civil life — Oregon — Captain — Resigns the United States Service — 
Fanner and cord-wood dealer — Engages in the leather trade — 
Knows more of tanning leather than of politics — Value of good 
leather 41 

Chapter V. — Tuy Rebellion. — Grant Volunteers and becomes 
a Brigadier-General. 

Staff and mustering officer in Illinois— Energy — Colonel of the 21st 
Illinois Volunteers — Services in Missouri— Brigadier-General of 
Volunteers — Comparative table of Generals appointed on the 
same day, and how employed on January 1, 1861 45 

Chapter VI — Post and District Commander. — Belmont. 

Commander at Cairo — Forces increased — Value of Cairo — Occupa- 
tion of Paducah and Smitliland, Kentucky — Proclamation — Un- 
pretending style of dress — Constantly smoking — Correspondence 
with General Polk — Victory at Fredericktown— Belmont— Bra- 
very of his troops— Letter to his father — His appreciation of his 
vommaud — Care for the wounded 49 



6 CONTENTS. 

pach 

CnAPTER VII. — District or Cairo. — Grand Reconnoissance. 

District extended — Assumes command — Composition of staff — 
Forces further increased — Issues an order against picket-shoot- 
ing — Spies to be looked after — Reconnoissance in force into West- 
ern Kentucky — Manning the gunboats 59 

Chapter VIII. — Forts Henry and Donelson. — Value of tiie Feint. 

His command brigaded — The start — Advance upon and occupation 
of Fort Henry — Treatment of prisoners — Commander of three 
divisions — Movement upon Fort Donelson — Investment and bat- 
tles — Rebel sorties — Correspondence with General Btickner — 
An " unconditional surrender" demanded — " I propose to move 
immediately upon your works" — Victory — " The Union flag floats 
over Fort Donelson" — Value of the victory — Major-General of 
Volunteers — General Halleck's announcement of the success — A 
spirited incident 66 

Chapter IX. — District op West Tennessee. 

A new district formed — General Grant in command — Congratula- 
tory order for recent victories — Clarksville taken — Martial law in 
Tennessee — Marauding and plunder prohibited — Advance up the 
Tennessee River — Sword presentation — Expeditionary move- 
ments — The rebel commanders opposed to Grant — The Missis- 
sippi blockade 79 



Chapter X. — Pittsburg Landing or Siiiloii. 

Positions of the belligerent forces — General A. S. Johnston's ad- 
dress to his command — The commanding officers of both armies — 
Preliminary skirmishing — Rebel plans — "The first day's strug- 
gle"— Bravery of General Grant — Driven back but not* defeated 
— Re-enforcements — "The second day's battle"— The result, Vic- 
tory—The news received in New York — Excitement throughout 
the North — Thanks of the War Department — Salute of one hun- 
dred guns — General Grant wounded — Correspondence with Gen- 
eral Beauregard — Reconnoissance— Evidences of a hasty retreat 
of the rebels— General Halleck at Pittsburg Landing— His 
thanks to General Grant 86 

Chapter XI. — Movement and Siege op Corinth. 

Preliminary movements— Three armies combined— The "Grand 
Army of the Teunessee" — How composed — Outcry against Gen- 
eral Grant — Mr. Washburne defends him in Congress — General 
Halleck retains him, and appoints him second in command — He 
superintends the movements in the field— Gradual evacuation of 
Corinth— Approach of the parallels— Advance of the whole army 
with General Giant at the head — Occupation of Corinth— In- 
teresting details — Pursuit of the enemy 97 



CONTENTS. 7 

PASS 

Chapter XII.— Tub Department op West Tennessee.— Memphis. 

His command further increased — Difficulty with regard to Memphis 
— Stringent orders — Guerilla warfare — Aiding the rebels — Gen- 
eral Grant strikes at the root of the evil— The negroes put to 
useful employment — Tb.3 Act of Congress obeyed— Confiscation 
not wholesale plunder — Skulkers to be drafted— Quiet restored. Ill 

Chapter XIII. — Iuka — Corinth and the Hatchie. 

Approach of the rebels — Battle of Iuka — His combinations — The 
result — Change of head-quarters and why — Rebel advance upon 
Corinth — Disposition of his forces — Attack upon Corinth — The 
'epulse — The rebels brought between two tires— Grant's strategy 
— Victory — The President's congratulations 120 

Chapter XIV. — Department op the Tennessee. — Discipline. — Trade. 

The new command — Reorganization of the forces — The army to 
move light — Cavalry expeditions — Head-quarters removed to La 
Grange, Tennessee — Discipline — Marauding to be severely pun- 
ished, and how — Departmental staff — Contraband camp estab- 
lished — A regiment assessed to pay for plundering — Trade regu- 
lations — Punishment for violation of the same — Why General 
Grant would not appoint traders 132 

Chapter XV. — Advance into Mississippi. — A Retrospect. 
The previous efforts to take Vicksburg and their failures 14.G 

Chapter XVI.— Grant's First Movements towards Vicksburg. 
The expedition by way of Delta, Mississippi — Its success — Ad- 
vance to and occupation of Holly Springs — Arrival at Oxford, 
moving towards Jackson, Mississippi — Surrender of Holly Springs 
— The result — 'Die guilty party — Brave defence of other posts — 
Investigation — punishment and reward 151 

Chapter XVII. — Commander of Four Army Corps.— Sherman's 
Expedition. 

Constitution of the 13th, 15th, lGth and 17th Army Corps— Start 
of General Sherman's expedition— Stringent order — Landing of _ 
the forces 5>I 

Chapter XVIIL— Sherman's Attack upon Vicksburo.— Arkansas 

Post. 

Advance of the right wing of the Army of the Tennessee — The 
assault upon the works— Their strength— The charge upon the 
heights — Change in the command — The capture of Arkansas 

Post 

Chapter XIX. — Discipline.— Guerillas. 

Disaffection of the 109th Illinois Volunteers— Court of Inquiry- 
Disgraceful dismissal of disloyal officers — Cavalry operations — 
General Grant's order concerning negro trooos 110 



162 



8 CONTEXTS. 

PAOR 
CnAPTER XX. — ClIANGE OF BASE. — WILLIAMS'S CaNAL. 

Head-quarters established at Young's Point — The rebel position — 
Reopening of the Williams Canal — Important order — Recon- 
noitring expeditions 114 

Chapter XXI. — The Queen op the "West and Ixdianola. 

Eunning the batteries — Colonel Ellet's operations — loss of the two 
vessels 173 

Chapter XXII. — The Lake Providence Canal. 182 

Chapter XXIII. — The Yazoo Pass Expedition. 
Dangers of the trip — Blockade of the Tallahatchie — Diversion of the 
rebel forces - 184 

Chapter XXI V. — The Steele's Bayou Expedition. 

Personal reconnoissance — Dangerous position of the expeditionary 
vessels — Opportune arrival of General Sherman's troops 190 

Chapter XXV. — The Health of the Army. 

Surgeon-General Hammond's inquiries — General Grant's replies — 
"No army in better condition" 198 

Chapter XXVI. — Overland Movements. — Running the Batteries. 

Admiral Farragut's arrival at Vicksburg via Port Hudson — Two 
rams run by the Vicksburg batteries — The march to New Car- 
thage and Perkins's Plantation — Porter's fleet passes Vicksburg 
— Passage of the transports 201 

Chapter XXVII. — Grierson's Expedition. 

Dash of the cavalry — Feints — The Southern Railroad destroyed — 
Immense destruction of rebel government property — Arrival at 
Baton Rouge — General Grant's report 20-1 

Chapter XXVIII. — Other Preliminary Movements. — Attack upon 
Grand Gulf. 

Affair at Nanconnah — General Banks's movements from Baton 
Rouge — The army at Hard Times — Naval attack upon Grand 
Gulf — Running the batteries 210 

Chapter XXIX. — The Landing at Bruinsburg and Advance. 
Marching light — The bivouac — Rapid movements — The march. ... 212 

Chapter XXX. — The Battle of Thompson's Hill or Port Gibson 
— The Evacuation of Grand Gulf. 

Skirmishing — The fight — General Grant on the field — The enemy 
driven — The pursuit — General Grant occupies Grand Gulf — His 
entire disregard of danger 216 



CONTENTS. 



Chapter XXXI. — Outside Operations. 

Corwyn's cavalry expedition — Sherman's feint on the Yazoo — 
General Banks to co-operate 223 

Chapter XXXII. — The Advance towards Jackson. — Battle op 
Raymond. 

Hawkinson's Ferry. — Feint towards Warrenton — Alarm in Jack- 
son — Governor Pettus's proclamation — Order of advance — The 
march — " I shall communicate with Grand Gulf no more" — 
Battle near and occupation of Raymond 227 

Chapter XXIII. — The Capture and Occupation op Jackson. 

Clinton occupied— Movement upon the city by two routes — The 
contest outside the city — At Jackson — Destruction of rebel 
government property — Interesting details 236 

CHAPTER XXXIV.— The Advance Renewed.— Champion's Hill. 

Important information gained — Prompt advance — Concentric move- 
ments — Battle of Champion's Hill — General Grant on the field 
— Rebel official acknowledgments of defeat 243 

Chapter XXXV. — Battle of Big Black River. 

General Sherman's flank movement — General Grant personally 
looks after the pontoon train — The contest on the banks of the 
Big Black — The rebels' admirable position 248 

Chapter XXXVI. — Approaching Vicksburg. — Investment. — First 
Assault. 

Communication opened with the Yazoo River — The advance upon 
the rebel strong-hold — The first assault — Admiral Porter's co- 
operation — The United Service 252 

Chapter XXXVIL — The Second Assault upon Vicksburg. 

"Why this assault was made — A decisive order — The signal — The 
advance — Determination of the troops — tleavy rebel fire — The 
charge — The repulse — Interesting details — Admiral Porter's re- 
port — General McClernand's objectionable order — General Grant's 
decisive action — His army first, his friend afterwards — The 
rebel General Pemberton's determination to hold Vicksburg. . . . 2G0 

Chapter XXXVHI. — The Siege op Vicksburg. 

The rebel works nearly invested — A leak discovered — Valuable 
information gained — Threatened in the rear — Preparations to 
resist the threat — General Blair's expedition — The sappers and 
miners at work — Reenforcements — General Sherman's expedi- 
tion — The rebels' " faith in the Lord and Jos Johnston" — The 

latter taken care of 275 

1* 



10 CONTEXTS. 

PAOB 

Chapter XXXIX. — The Explosion of the Mine. 

The mine — How worked — The powder deposited — Details of the 
firing and explosion — The scene — The dash at the breach — An- 
other decisive order 281 

Chapter XL. — The Surrender of Vicksburg. 

The city spared, and why — The approaching parallels — The rebels 
desire a capitulation — The meeting of the commanding Generals 
— The terms "Unconditional .Surrender" — Suspension of hostili- 
ties — Magnanimous conduct to the besieged — The garrison al- 
lowed to march out with the honors of war 290 

Chapter XLI. — Occupation of Vicksburg. — The Losses. 

The entrance of the Union Army into Vicksburg — Condition of the 
city — The rebel losses — Comparative statement of casualties — 
General Ilalleck's report of the campaign — His opinion of Gen- 
eral Grant — The President's autograph letter of thanks. — His joke 
upon Grant's whiskey — Port Hudson — Its fall necessitated by 
the capitulation of Vicksburg 302 

Chapter XLIL— The Pursuit of Johnston. — Second Capture of 
the City of Jackson. 

General Sherman's preparations — The pursuit commenced — Joe 
Johnston's appeal — Jackson invested on three sides — Details of 
the advance — Evacuation of the city by the rebels and occupa- 
tion by the Union troops 317 

Chapter XLIII. — At Vicksburg, but not Idle. 

The Yazoo City expedition — The Red River and Natchez expedi- 
tion — The Mississippi Valley campaign ended 326 

Chapter XLIV. — His Success made Sure. — His Department Sb» 
cured. — Care for the Soldiers. 

Mrs. Geueral Grant — Sword presentation — Major-General of the 
Regular Army — Furloughs for the troops — The contrabands — 
Trade — Letter to Secretary Chase — An overcharging steam- 
boatmau made to disgorge — Guerillas to be severely dealt with 
— Negro camps 331 

Chapter XLV. — Visit to Memphis and New Orleans. 

The dinner at Memphis — The toasts — "De Soto, Fulton. Grant" — 
He visits other districts — Arrival at New Orleans — Review at 
Carrolton — Thrown from his horse and seriously injured — The 
result 341 

Chapter XLVI. — An Enlarged Command. — Military Division of 

the Mississippi. 
General Grant looks after the pay of his soldiers — Jurisdiction of the 
district of Vicksburg — Badge of honor for the troops — Coucentra- 



CONTEXTS. 1 1 

PJ.OB 

tion at Chattanooga — The rebels resisting the advance of re-en- 
forcements — Meeting between General Grant and Secretary Stan- 
ton — Arrival at Louisville — Assumes command — His immense re- 
sponsibility — Position of affairs 349 

Chapter XLVII. — Active Movements. — Lookout Valley. 

Sad condition of the troops at Chattanooga — General Grant effects 
a change — Lookout Valley occupied — Communications re-opened 
— Rebel chagrin — Incidents 360 

Chapter XLVIII. — Loxgstreet's Advance upon Kxoxvtlle. 

General Grant's quiet demeanor — Deals with raiding parties 
through their friend3 — Arrival of Sherman's forces at Chatta- 
nooga — Longstreet's flank movement — The rebels allowed to 
advance, and why — General Grant's plans 371 

Chapter XLIX. — The Battles before Chattanooga. — First Day. 

General "Wood's reconnoissance — An advance — The rebels think it 
a review until too late — Orchard Knob taken — Gallantry of the 
troops 376 

Chapter L. — The Second Day. — Lookout Mountain. 

General Hooker's movements on the right — A new specimen of 
tactics. — The mountain taken — General Grant's modest dispatch.. 3S0 

Chapter LI. — Third Day. — Tunnel Hill. — Mission Ridge. 

Sherman's terrific assaults — Details of the contest — Value of the 
struggle — Granger's grand attack in the centre — The advance 
through the valley of death — The heights gained — The rebels in 
full retreat — Granger's complimentary order — Incidents 300 

Chapter LIT. — Retrospect of the Three Days' Battles. 

General Meigs's semi-official dispatch — The victory — General Grant's 
bravery — "Another victory added to the chapter of 'Uncondi- 
tional surrender Grant.' " 409 

Chapter LIII. — The Pursuit. — Fight at Ringgold. 

The rebels closely followed up — The affair at Chickamauga Depot 
— Immense destruction of rebel stores — The content at Ring- 
gold — Occupation of the Gaps — Rebels retreat to Dalton — Gen- 
eral Bragg's dispatch 413 

Chapter LIV. — Knoxville Relieved. 
General Grant's splendid strategy developed — He first defeats 
Bragg and then turns upon Longstreet — President Lincoln's 
proclamation of thanksgiving for victory — His dispatch of thanks 
to General Grant — General Halleck's report of the campaign — 
Rebel fears of Grant's movements — Congratulatory order to the 
troops — What had been accomplished in a short time — General 
Grant as he appeared during the campaign — Incidents » . . . . 420 



1 2 CONTENTS. 

TkQM 

Chapter LV.— Honors to General Grant.— Thanks op Congress- 
— Gold Medal. 

The TTon. R. B. Washburne'a resolutions— Thank9 of Congress— 
A noli medal to be presented to General Grant—" Public resolu- 
tion No. 1" — The medal — Honorary member of missionary soci- 
eties— Nominated fur President— Thanks of State Legislatures- 
Presentations 430 

Chapter LVL— Lieutenant-General.— Congressional Nominations. 

The grade of Lieutenant-General to be revived — General Grant 
nominated for the position— Exciting debate in Congress — 
Speeches of the Hon. Messrs. Farnsworth and Washburne — The 
nomination approved by one hundred and seventeen vote3 431 

Chapter LVIL— Preparing for a New Campaign. 

General Grant submits a plan of action — Resolution to raise one 
million of men to be placed under his command — Forethought on 
behalf of repentant rebels — Orders under the conliscation act — 
The property of loyal persons — L'are for his troops 443 

Chapter LVIII. — Personally Inspects his Grand Department. 

His departure from Chattanooga — Arrival at Nashville — Visit to 
Knoxville — Dangerous aud unpleasant trip to Louisville by way 
of Cumberland Gap — Reception at Lexington — Railroad com- 
munication opened with Chattanooga — The rear of his lines per- 
fectly safe 449 

Chapter LTX. — At St. Louis. — Public Dinner. 

His quiet and modest arrival in that city — Invitations to a public 
dinner aud reply — The reception — General Grant's speeches — 
Honorary member of the Western Sanitary Commission 455 

Chapter LX. — His Personal Appearance and Character. 

In battle and at home — Kindness of heart — Abnegation of self — 
Appreciation of others — Modesty — Ideas of Strategy 4C3 

Chapter LXI. — G want's Last Campaign, and Close of the "War. 

Ordered lo the National Capital — Rueepiion at the White House — 
Presentation of his Commission by Abraham Lincoln — Head- 
quarlers at Washington and with the Army — His Preparations 
for nn Immediate Campaign — Battles of the Wilderness and Cold 
Harbor — His flank movement across the James — Siege of Peters- 
burg — Capture of Fort Fisher and Wilmington — Battle of the Five 
Forks — Assault on Lee's Army — Fall of Petersburg and Rich- 
mond — Surrender ol' Generals Lee and Johnson— Graut Commis- 
sioned General, etc., etc 4T0 



GENERAL GRANT: 

HIS CAMPAIGNS AND BATTLES. 



CHAPTER I. 

GRANT'S EARLY DATS. 



If, as has been said, "success is the test of merit,'' 
then indeed has the subject of this biography fairly- 
earned the warmest encomiums, and the sincerest respect 
and admiration, not only of his fellow-countrymen, but 
of the entire world. Rising from humble life by rapid 
yet regular grades of promotion, to the highest military 
position within the gift of the Republic, his personal 
history is one which, like that of the "Father of his 
Country," can never fail to attract the deepest interest 
of the people who now, and through all time to come, 
shall enjoy the rich fruits of his labors, his skill, and his 
patriotism. " Deeds, not words," seems to have been the 
motto of this grave, unassuming, and reticent man, who 
cheerfully accepts any responsibility which his superiors 
see fit to lay upon him, and gives to the work in hand all 
the best energies of his mind, and all the unwearied 
devotion of a patriot soldier. " Posterity delights in 
detail;" and, both in the present and future time, 
throughout the length and breadth of the land which he 
has so largely contributed to save intact from the attacks 



14 GENERAL GRANT. 

of treason, the slightest event connected with the life, 
character, and career of the General of the armies of the 
United States, can not fail to have an absorbing interest to 
readers of every class and every age. 

Gen. Ulysses S. Grant is descended from an ancient 
and worthy Connecticut family, the immigrant ancestor oi 
which was Matthew Grant, who came over from England 
in 1G30, in the ship " Mary and John," and with his 
fellow-passengers founded the town of Dorchester (now 
South Boston), Mass. In 1G36 he was one of the com- 
pany who settled the town of "Windsor, Connecticut, and 
was an active and prominent citizen, being a notable land 
surveyor, a faithful and remarkably conscientious town- 
clerk and an influential member of the Church. His 
great-grandson, Noah Grant, located at Tolland, Conn., 
and his son Noah removed to Coventry, about 1750, 
and was a Captain in the Crown Point Expedition of 
1755, in which he and his brother Solomon were killed. 
His son, Noah General Grant's grandfather, was a lieu- 
tenant of militia at the battle of Lexington, in 1776, and 
served in the Continental Army during the entire Revo- 
lutionary War. He removed from Coventry to Westmore- 
land County, Pennsylvania, about 1787, and there married, 
as his second wife, Rachel Kelley, in 1791. His son by 
this second marriage, Jesse "Root Grant, the father of the 
hero, was born in Westmoreland County, in 1794, from 
whence, when he was five years of age, the family removed 
to what is now Columbiana County, Ohio ; and again, 
when he was ten years old, to Deerfield, Portage County, 
in the "Western Reserve. His father dying the next year, 
1805, the family became somewhat scattered; and during 
tin' War of 1812 Jesse, with his mother and the younger 
children, removed to Maysville, Kentucky ; the northern 
part of Ohio being unsafe for women and children, 



HIS EARLY DAYS. 15 

on account of the dangers from the British and their In- 
dian allies. In 1815, being then of age, he established 
himself at Ravenna, Ohio, in the tanning business, to 
which he had served a full apprenticeship. Driven from 
thence in 1820 by the prevalence of the fever and ague, 
he removed to Point Pleasant, Clermont County, Ohio, 
on the Ohio River, twenty-five miles above Cincinnati ; 
and there, in June of the same year, he married Hannah, 
daughter of John Simpson, who, some three years pre- 
vious had removed thither from Montgomery County, 
Pennsylvania. Of good family, domestic in her habits, 
cheerful in disposition, and possessing great firmness and 
steadiness of character, as well as being a consistent 
member of the Methodist Church, she was well fitted to 
be the mother of children, and to influence their lives in 
the right and noblest direction. 

Hiram Ulysses, the eldest child of this worthy couple, 
both of whom have happily been spared to witness and 
participate in his fame, was born on the 27th of April, 
1822. Among the various anecdotes which, now that he 
is famous, have been brought to light concerning his 
earlier years, is this : That once, when he was but two years 
old, his father " took him in his arms and carried him 
through the village on some public occasion, and a young 
man wished to try the effect of the report of a pistol 
upon him. Mr. Grant consented, though, as he said, the 
child had never seen a gun or pistol in his life. The 
hand of the baby was accordingly put on the lock and 
pressed there quietly, until the pistol was discharged with 
a loud report. The little fellow exhibited no alarm, neither 
winking nor dodging, but presently pushed the pistol 
away, asking, in a childish way, that it be again fixed. 
From his father's statement, we learn that the boy's first 
and " ruling passion," almost from the time he could go 



16 GENERAL GRANT. 

alone, was for horses. "When only seven and a half years 
old, he took advantage of his fathers absence from home 
fur a day, to harness up a three-year-old colt, which, though 
accustomed to the saddle, had never before had a collar 
on; and hitching him to a sled, spent the day in hauling 
brush. By the time he was eight and a half years old, 
he was a regular driver, hauling wood for his father, and 
at ten years of age was intrusted with the charge of a 
pair of horses, with which he drove forty miles, to Cincin- 
nati, and brought back a load of passengers alone. He 
was always " on hand " when a traveling show or circus 
came along, was always ready to ride the pony, when the 
"ring-master" offered the boys in the audience the 
chance ; and, in his father's words, " whatever he under- 
took to ride he rode," and nothing could shake him off. 
He early began to break horses himself, and developed a 
wonderful faculty for teaching them to pace, — a knack 
which would have given him plenty of work from the 
neighbors, if he had not considered it rather degrading to 
do it for money, and refused to accommodate them. 

An anecdote is related by his father, in his contributions 
to the New York Ledger, which is remarkably character- 
istic of the determined " grit," as well as of the faculty of 
adaptation to circumstances, which has since been noticed 
in his son as a general. Mr. Grant, who had a contract for 
building the Brown County jail, had need of a number of 
logs, some fourteen feet in length ; and Ulysses, then in 
his twelfth year, volunteered to drive team until the logs 
were hauled, if his father would purchase a certain horse 
which he thought an excellent match for another which 
he then owned. This he did, and hired a man to go 
along with the boy; but, after a few days' trial, the man 
reported that there was no use in his watching the boy 
or the team, for the lad could manage it as well, if not 



HIS EAKLT DATS. 17 

better, than he could. A few days passed, and Mr. Grant 
accidentally discovered that the boy loaded the logs into 
the wagon, by himself, with no assistance but such as he 
got from the new horse. Surprised and incredulous, he 
inquired into the process of the apparently impossible 
feat, and the boy quietly, and in a "matter-of-fact" way, 
explained that, taking advantage of a large sugar-tree 
which had been felled, so that it lay aslant, one end rest- 
ing on the ground and the other elevated, he had hitched 
the horse to the end of a hewn log, and drawn it up on 
the sugar-tree, until the end projected far enough over 
to allow of his backing the wagon under it ; then, when 
he had hauled up three, which made his "load," in this 
manner, he backed the hind part of the wagon under 
them, hitched the horse — a strong animal — in front by 
means of a long chain extending over the whole length 
of the wagon-box, and pulled them over, one after an- 
other, into the wagon. And thus . he worked for seven 
months, until the job was completed. 

As an example of his self-possession, it is related that, 
in driving a couple of lady passengers, in a two-horse 
wagon, across a creek in which the water was higher than 
he had expected, and finding suddenly that the horses 
were swimming, and the water up level with the wagon- 
bottom, the ladies were much alarmed, and began to 
scream, when Ulysses, who was on the front seat, look- 
ing coolly over his shoulder, quietly said, " Don't speak — 
/ will take you through safe" — and he did. In these 
incidents of his boyish days we see a gleam of the 
same spirit that led him, in after-years, when the whole 
country were looking on, to say, " I propose to fight it 
out on this line, if it takes all summer ! " 

The first book that Ulysses read, when he was some 
seven years old, was a "Life of George Washington." 



18 GEKEKAL GKAKT. 

At scliool he was a fair but not a remarkable scholar — 
developing a special interest only in mathematics. 

As a boy he seems to have been as modest, retiring, 
and reticent as he has been in his subsequent career; 
yet he always manifested a proper amount of confidence 
in his ability to do any thing which was to be expected 
of a boy of his size and years. Among boys he was 
regarded as a leader ; yet, without forwardness, he rather 
sought the company of older persons. 

It is needless to repeat here the well-known story of 
the exceeding difficulty which he experienced in his 
school-days, in learning the meaning of the word "can't;" 
and it is pretty certain that he never has learned it, even 
to this day ! 

His disposition was peaceable, yet would stand no 
imposition upon what he considered his rights; and 
when forced into a corner could fight as well as any one. 
The current story of his "flogging a captain" is, on his 
own authority, untrue ; and it is said by those who know 
him well, that he never had a personal controversy in his 
life. Profanity was a vice which he was peculiarly free from, 
both in boyhood and in his subsequent military career. 

Honesty of thought and speech were also traits of his 
youth, which have strengthened with his growth, and 
which are now seen to underlie his whole character. A 
popular, and probably a true, story which was current 
among his companions, was concerning a horse trade in 
which he was once engaged. It appears that when he 
was about twelve years of age, his father sent him to 
purchase a horse of a farmer, named Ralston, who resided 
some short distance in the country. The elder Grant 
wanted the horse, but still desired to get it as cheaply as 
possible. Before starting, the old gentleman impressed 
upon young Grant's mind that fact in these words: 



HIS EARLY DATS. 19 

"Ulysses, when you see Mr. Ealston, tell him I have 
sent you to buy his horse, and offer him fifty dollars for it. 
If he will not take that, offer him fifty-five dollars; and 
rather than you should come away without the horse, you 
had better give him sixty dollars." 

Off started the boy, and in due course of time arrived 
at Ealston's farm-house. He had carefully studied over 
in his mind his father's instructions, and of course in- 
tended to do as his parent had told him. Mr. Ralston, 
however, threw him off his balance, by putting the fol- 
lowing direct but natural question to him : 

" How much did your father tell you to give for him ?" 

Young Ulysses had always had it impressed upon his 
mind by his mother, that the truth must be spoken at all 
times, and therefore he replied: 

" Why, father told me to offer you fifty dollars at first ; 
and if that would not do, to give you fifty-five dollars ; 
and rather than come away without the horse I was to 
pay sixty dollars." 

Of course, Ealston could not sell the horse for less than 
sixty dollars. 

" I am sorry for that," returned Grant, ." for, on look- 
ing at the horse, I have determined not to give more than 
fifty dollars for it, although father said I might give sixty. 
You may take fifty if you like, or you may keep the 
horse." 

Ulysses rode the horse home ! 

Industrious by nature, he nevertheless was strongly 
prejudiced against working in his father's tannery; and 
his father, seeing this, wisely gave him a choice of busi- 
ness. The boy expressed a preference for being either 
a farmer, a down-the-river trader, or for getting a better 
education than he had hitherto been able to obtain at the 
schools in his native place. Mr. Grant's circumstances, 



20 GENERAL GRANT. 

however, did not permit of his aiding his son in any of 
these directions, and finally proposed West Point as 
offering an opportunity for a free education, at the ex- 
pense of the government. This exactly suited his son ; 
and, through the friendly offices of Senator Thomas 
Morris, an appointment to West Point was presented to 
Ulysses by the Hon. Thomas L. Hamer, then Eepresen- 
tatiye of Grant's own district. The happy recipient, 
unprepared as he was by a previous course of special 
study, went to West Point, passed his examination, and 
commenced his military career, July 1st, 1839. At the 
Academy he was studious, and, although taking no 
especial pains to make himself popular, was a general 
favorite among his comrades. Among them he was 
familiarly called " Uncle Sam," from his initials " U. S.," 
which, by the way, were thrust upon him accidentally, 
and in this wise: He had been duly christened Hiram 
Ulysses, being always called by the latter name, accord- 
ing to his own preference, when he got to be old enough. 
But Mr. Hamer, when making the nomination for the 
cadetship at West Point, having a recollection that Mrs. 
Grant's maiden name was Simpson, got it a little 
"mixed," and sent in the name as Ulysses Simpson 
Grant. The young cadet afterward endeavored to have 
it set right by the proper authorities, but failed, and has 
since remained content with it as it is. 



AT WEST POINT. 21 



CHAPTER II. 

AT .WEST POINT. 

When" the young cadet entered the "West Point Institu- 
tion, he had to submit to a thorough physical and mental 
examination, to see whether he was fit to enter upon the 
life of a soldier, and was possessed of the proper mental 
talents, to make him competent to be trained as an officer. 
He passed the examination successfully and was admitted 
into the fourth class, where his studies consisted of math- 
ematics, English grammar, including etymological and 
rhetorical exercises, composition, declamation, geography 
of the United States, French, and the use of small arms. 
In the camp — for the cadets have to live part of the sum- 
mer months in tents as if on the field — he ranked as a 
private of the battalion, and had to submit to all the 
inconveniences that privates in camp have to suffer. 

During the year 1840 he was advanced into the third 
class of the West Point Academy. Here he ranked as 
corporal in the cadet battalion, and his studies consisted 
of higher mathematics, French, drawing, and the duties 
of a cavalry soldier. In this last study he received practi- 
cal instruction for sixteen weeks, so as to make him a good 
horseman. He progressed steadily, but not rapidly. He 
however did not fall back from any advance he had 
made, and if he only gained one seat at a time, he held on 
to that,- with the intention of never again going below 
the cadet sitting next lower in his class. 

Cadet Grant, during 1841, entered the second class of 



22 



GENERAL GRANT. 



the TJ. S. Military School at West Point, obtaining with this 
change the rank of sergeant of cadets. His studies now 
were somewhat more laborious ; but still Grant persevered, 
and gradually mastered them. From September, 1841, to 
June, 1842, he was engaged in the study of natural and 
experimental philosophy, chemistry, and drawing, and in 
receiving practical instruction in horsemanship. During 
the summer months he was again encamped, and was 
well drilled in both infantry and artillery tactics. He 
passed out of this class with credit. 

During the year 1842, the young soldier passed into 
the first and concluding class of instruction of the Military 
Academy. In this class he ranked as a commissioned offi- 
cer of cadets, and was first put into the position where he 
could learn how to command a section, troop, or company. 
This is generally the trying position for the cadet; for, be- 
ing invested with a little brief authority, he will either 
use it with credit or abuse it. Grant, while holding this 
position, set forth all the nobleness of his nature. He 
was no petty tyrant, nor was he a spy upon the actions 
of those who for the time were his subordinates. In 
the camp he commanded respect for his position ; but 
out of camp he was still nothing more than a fellow- 
cadet. In this trait of his character, he was always liked 
by his classmates, and esteemed by those whose class 
degree was below him. 

Gadet Grant had now more serious duties to perform, 
and studies to master. From September, 1842, to June, 
1843, he was engaged in acquiring the knowledge of civil 
and military engineering, and from the 1st day of April 
to the 15 tli of May, 1843, he received practical instruc- 
tion in this branch of the service. While encamped 
previous to September, 1842, he received some practical 
lessons in this science, and during the whole classical 



AT WEST POIiNT. 



23 



year he was engaged either in the study of ethics, consti- 
tutional law, international law, or military law, or in per- 
fecting himself in horsemanship. He is now reputed one 
of the best riders in the service, not being easily thrown. 

While in this class, he also endeavored to gain a 
knowledge of the science of mineralogy and geology, and 
of the Spanish language. He also received instruction 
in ordnance, gunnery, and cavalry tactics, which are 
esteemed among the higher branches of military acquire- 
ments. He passed through this class with credit, and 
graduated from the Military Academy on the 30th day of 
June, 1843, with thirty-eight other classmates, he stand- 
ing No. 21, or about the middle of the class. He had 
now acquired a practical knowledge of the use of the 
rifled musket, the field-piece, mortar, siege, and sea-coast 
guns, small sword and bayonet, as well as of the con- 
struction of field-works, and the fabrication of all muni- 
tions and materiel of war. 

The school companions of great men are very often 
mixed up with their after-life, and this statement is more 
applicable to the West Point cadets who graduate in the 
same class. Such being the case, it may be a matter of 
interest to the reader to know who were General Grant's 
fellow-graduates, and what their relative positions were 
at the time of writing this narrative. 

The cadet who graduated first in the class was William 
Benjamin Franklin, who entered the Topographical En- 
gineer Corps ; and having passed through a series of 
adventures under various commanders was, at the begin- 
ning of 1864, the general commanding the Nineteenth 
Army Corps, in the Department of the Gulf, under Gen- 
eral Banks. 

The names of the next three graduates do not now 
appear in the Army List of the United States. 



24 GENERAL GRANT. 

"Win. F. Raynolds graduated fifth in the class, entered 
the infantry service, and was appointed an aide on the 
staff of General Fremont, commanding the Mountain 
Department, with the rank of colonel, from the 31st day 
of March, 1S62. 

The next graduate was Isaac F. Quinhy. He had 
entered the artillery service, and had been professor at 
West Point, but had retired to civil life. The rebellion, 
however, brought him from his retirement, and he went 
to the field at the head of a regiment of New York vol- 
unteers. He afterward became a brigadier-general in 
the Army of the Potomac. 

Roswell S. Ripley, the author of " The War with Mex- 
ico," graduated seventh; but his name does not now 
appear in the official Army Register of the United 
States, as he had attached himself to the rebel cause. 

The next graduate was John James Peck, who entered 
the artillery service, and was, on January 1, 1864, the 
commander of the district of and army in North Carolina, 
which then formed a portion of General Butler's' De- 
partment. 

John P. Johnstone, the dariug artillery lieutenant who 
fell gallantly at Contreras, Mexico, was the next graduate. 

General Joseph Jones Reynolds was the next in grade. 
This officer bad gained great credit, while in the army, as 
a professor of sciences ; but had resigned some time when 
the rebellion broke out. He was, however, in 1861, again 
brought forward as a general of three-months volunteers, 
under General McClellan, in Western Virginia ; was after- 
ward commissioned by the President ; and latterly became 
attached to the Army of the Cumberland. He served on 
the staff of the general commanding that army, with 
the rank of major-general, until General Grant assumed 
command of the military division embracing the Depart- 



AT "WEST POI^STT. 



25 



ments of Ohio, Tennessee, and Cumberland, when he was 
transferred to New Orleans. 

The eleventh graduate was James Allen Hardie, who, 
during the War of the Rebellion, became an Assistant 
Adjutant-General of the Army of the Potomac, with the 
rank of colonel. 

Henry F. Clarke graduated twelfth, entered the artil- 
lery service, gained brevets in Mexico, and became chief 
commissary of the Army of the Potomac, during the 
War of the Rebellion, with the rank of colonel. 

Lieutenant Booker, the next in grade, died while in 
service at San Antonio, Texas, on June 26, 18-49. 

The fourteenth graduate might have been a prominent 
officer of the United States army, had he not deserted 
the cause of his country, and attached himself to the 
rebels. He had not even the excuse of " going with his 
State," for he was a native of New Jersey, and was 
appointed to the army from that State. His name is 
Samuel G. French, major-general of the rebel army. 

The next graduate was Lieutenant Theodore L. Chad- 
bourne, who was killed at the battle of Resaca de la 
Palma, on May 9, 1846, after distinguishing himself for 
his bravery at the head of his command. 

Christopher Colon Augur, one of the commanders of 
the Department of Washington, and major-general of 
volunteers, was the next in grade. 

We now come to another renegade. Franklin Gard- 
ner, a native of New York, and an appointee from the 
State of Iowa, graduated seventeenth in General Grant's 
class. At the time of the rebellion he deserted the cause 
of the United States and joined tlie % rebels. He was dis- 
gracefully dropped from the rolls of the United States 
Army, on May 7, 1861, became a major-general in the 
rebel service, and had to surrender his garrison at Port 



26 



GENEEAL GEANT. 



Hudson, July 9, 1863, through the reduction of Vicks- 
burg by his junior graduate, TJ. S. Grant. 

Lieutenant George Stevens, who was drowned in the 
passage of the Kio Grande, May 18, 1846, was the next 
graduate. 

The nineteenth graduate was Edmund B. Holloway, 
of Kentucky, who obtained a brevet at Contreras, and was 
a captain of infantry in the United States regular army 
at the commencement of the rebellion. Although his 
State remained in the Union, he threw up his commis- 
sion on May 14, 1861, and joined the rebels. 

The graduate that immediately preceded General Grant 
was Lieutenant Lewis Neill, who died on January 13, 
1850, while in service at Fort Croghan, Texas. 

Joseph H. Potter, of New Hampshire, graduated next 
after the hero of Vicksburg. During the War of the 
Eebellion he became a colonel of volunteers, retaining his 
rank as captain in the regular army. 

Lieutenant Eobert Hazlitt, who was killed in the storm- 
ing of Monterey, September 21, 1846, and Lieutenant 
Edwin Howe, who died while in service at Fort Leaven- 
worth, March 31, 1850, were the next two graduates. 

Lafayette Boyer Wood, of Virginia, was the twenty-fifth 
graduate. He is no longer connected with the service, 
having resigned several years before the rebellion. 

The next graduate was Charles S. Hamilton, who for 
some time commanded, as major-general of volunteers, a 
district under General Grant, who at that time was chief 
of the Department of the Tennessee. 

Captain Win. K. Van Bokkelen, of New York, who was 
cashiered fur rebel proclivities, on May 8, 1861, was the 
next graduate, and was followed by Alfred St. Amand 
Crozet, of New York, who had resigned the service several 
years before the breaking out of the civil war, and Lieu- 



AT "WEST POINT. 



27 



tenant Charles E. James, who died at Sonoma, Cal., on 
June 8, 1849. 

The thirtieth graduate was the gallant General Frederick 
Steele, who participated in the Vicksburg and Mississippi 
campaigns, as division and corps commander under Gen- 
eral Grant, and afterward commanded the Army of 
Arkansas. 

The next graduate was Captain Henry R. Selden, of 
Vermont, and of the Fifth U. S. Infantry. 

General Eufus Ingalls, quartermaster-general of the 
Army of the Potomac, graduated No. 32, and entered the 
mounted rifle regiment, but was found more valuable in 
the Quartermaster's Department, in which he held the 
rank of major from January 12, 1862, with a local rank 
of brigadier-general of volunteers from May 23, 1863. 

Major Frederick T. Dent, of the Fourth U. S. Infantry, 
and Major J. C. McFerran, of the Quartermaster's Depart- 
ment, were the next two graduates. 

The thirty-fifth graduate was General Henry Moses 
Judah, who commanded a division of the Twenty-Third 
Army Corps during its operations after the rebel cavalry 
general, John H. Morgan, and in East Tennessee, during 
the fall of 1863. 

The remaining four graduates were Norman Elting, 
who resigned the service October 29, 1846; Cave J. 
Couts, who was a member of the State Constitutional 
Convention of California during the year 1849 ; Charles 
G. Merchant, of New York ; and George C. McClelland, 
of Pennsylvania, no one of whom is now connected with 
the United States Service. 

It is very interesting to look over the above list to see 
how the twenty-first graduate has outstripped all his 
seniors in grade, showing plainly that true talent will 
ultimately make its way, no matter how modest the pos- 



28 GENERAL GRANT. 

seasor may be, and notwithstanding all the opposition 
that may be placed in its way by others. It will be seen 
how General Grant came to command a larger force and a 
greater extent of country than all his thirty-eight class- 
mates put together, and has risen higher in the military 
scale than any in his class, notwithstanding the fact that 
he did not seem to possess the same amount of apparent 
dashing ability. 

His Scotch blood, however, gave him a pertinacity of 
character that enabled him to push forward against all 
difficulties, and this stubborn perseverance even in the 
midst of disappointments has characterized the whole of 
his life, both civil and military. When, however, he 
found he was on the right track he kept to it without 
turning aside for even a moment, and so ultimately be- 
came successful. 

The following incident occurred while young Grant 
was serving his first year as a cadet of the Military Aqa- 
demy at West Point, and is a very good illustration of 
the coolness of his disposition. 

It is related by his father in his interesting reminiscen- 
ces of the early life of his distinguished son, published 
in the New York Ledger. 

"As is well known, it is the practice at West Point to 
get some rig, run, or joke on every new-comer. Ulysses 
took a letter of introduction to a cadet, who told him all 
tins, and put him on his guard. In the course of the first 
night, one of the cadets, dressed as an officer, entered the 
room where Ulysses and his chum were sleeping, and told 
them that one of the rules of the institution required 
that a task should be given them, to see how they would 
get through it, while laboring under the excitement 
consequent upon their first admission, lie then, pro- 
ducing a book, ordered that, before morning, they should 



AT WEST POINT. 



29 



each commit to memory a lesson of twenty pages. " All 
right, all right," responded Ulysses ; and as soon as the 
pretended officer hud withdrawn, he went quietly back to 
bed, while his companion sat up and studied all night. 
Of course, the recitation has not yet been called for." 

Grant's career at West Point was uneventful, his de- 
merits, as his father says, being mostly " of a trivial char- 
acter, such as not haying his coat buttoned, or his shoes 
tied right, or something of that kind." • His progress was 
of the slow and sure kind, holding firmly on to all he 
acquired, but having nothing of that dashing brilliancy 
which is thought so much of by collegiates. He did not, 
like many, only study to pass the examiner, and then for- 
get what he had learned. Even if his seat was below 
those of some others in his classes, at the end of each year 
it would be found that his education was of a far more 
solid and substantial nature than that of several of his 
class-mates who stood higher in grades. Experience, 
however, has demonstrated that the rank attained at a 
Military Academy, or at College, affords a very uncertain 
indication of the future success or usefulness of the man. 



30 GENERAL GRANT 



CHAPTER m. 

ENTERS THE ARMY. MEXICAN WAR. 

When a youth enters the West Point Military Academy 
he takes upon himself obligations to serve a certain time 
in the U. S. Regular Army, to finish the eight years — the 
term for which he is sworn into the service of the United 
States at the time he receives his cadet warrant. 

Cadet Grant, therefore, when he graduated, at once 
entered the United States army as a hrevet second-lieu- 
tenant of infantry. The date at which this brevet rank 
was awarded to him was that of the succeeding day to 
his graduation, viz., July 1, 1843. 

At the time Grant entered the army, the United States 
were at peace with all the world, and very few vacancies 
then occurred in the rolls of army officers. He was, there- 
fore, attached as a supernumerary lieutenant to the Fourth 
Regiment of Regular United States Infantry, then sta- 
tioned on the frontier in Missouri and Missouri Territory, 
and engaged in keeping down the Indian tribes, that at 
that time were very annoying and dangerous to the early 
settlers of that region, which, twenty years ago, was almost 
a wilderness, except on the immediate banks of the great 
rivers. 

While in this part of the West, Brevet Second-Lieu- 
tenant Grant assisted his military companions in superin- 
tending the opening up of the country, as well as in main- 
taining the peace and safety of those who had settled 
and were settling in that region. 

The young officer had not been many months in the 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 81 

West before he was ordered, with his regiment, into Texas, 
to join the army of General Taylor, who had been appoint- 
ed to the command of the United States troops then con- 
centrating in that republic. This army occupation was 
made during the year 1845. The Mexicans and Americans 
had for some time held an imaginary line of boundary with- 
in what is now known as the State of Texas. As all ima- 
ginary lines become more or less subjects of dispute, it was 
quite natural that two armies of distinct races, and with 
great personal animosities daily arising, should at last find, 
or imagine they had found, the other overstepping its 
proper limits, and, as a natural sequel, quarrels would take 
place, supposed wrongs would have to be revenged, and 
bloodshed would be the ultimate result. Such was cer- 
tainly the origin of the actual hostilities which ripened 
into the American war with Mexico. 

Corpus Christi, an important port on the Texan shore, 
was soon taken possession of by the Americans as a base of 
operations, and Grant was stationed at this place when he 
received his commission as full second lieutenant of in- 
fantry. This commission was dated from the 30th day of 
September, 1845, and was made out for a vacancy in the 
Seventh Regiment of U. S. Regular Infantry. He had, 
however, become so attached to the members of the 
Fourth Regiment, that a request was sent to Washington 
to allow him to be retained with that force, and in the fol- 
lowing November a commission was handed to him, 
appointing him a full second lieutenant in the Fourth 
Regiment of U. S. Regular Infantry. 

Some time before the declaration by Congress of a war 
with Mexico, the struggle commenced in Texas. The 
primary cause of the actual commencement of hostilities 
was a trifle ; but the spark was no sooner applied than the 
conflagration began to make its rapid way, drawing the 



32 



GENERAL GRANT 



whole within its fearful grasp. Several petty struggles 
ensued, until at last General Taylor learned that an immense 
force of Mexicans were marching with the intention of 
crossing the Rio Grande into Texas, to drive the Americans 
from that region of territory. Promptly General Taylor 
moved ; but, in the mean time, Fort Brown, on the Texas 
shore of the Rio Grande, was besieged. The gallant 
American garrison defended the position with great 
bravery ; but, unless relief could have been sent them, it 
must have fallen. To relieve the besieged was General 
Taylor's duty ; and, under his command, Lieutenant Grant 
marched to his first battle-ground. 

On the 8th day of May, 1846, he participated in the battle 
of Palo Alto, and, although not mentioned in the official 
reports, he is spoken of by his companions to have acted 
with gallantry ; several officers of his regiment obtaining 
brevets for their gallant and meritorious conduct. With 
his characteristic modesty, the young lieutenant kept him- 
self in the back-ground, while his seniors gained the reward. 

The battle of Resaca <le la Palma was fought the next 
day, and here again Lieutenant Grant acted with praise- 
worthy gallantry. As before, his seniors in the regiment 
gained the brevets, while he quietly remained behind, 
perfectly satisfied that he had done his duty, and that time 
would ultimately bring to him his recompense. 

Fort Brown was relieved, and the Mexicans felt the 
weight of its metal as they, in disorder, rushed across the 
Rio Grande in full retreat from the battle so bravely fought 
and won by General Taylor, on May 9, 1846. 

The American army then advanced to and up the Rio 
Grande, and Texas was relieved from the jurisdiction ot 
the Mexicans. Lieutenant Grant also participated in the 
subsequent brilliant operations of General Taylor along 
the banks of that historic stream, and advanced into tha 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 33 

Mexican territory, at a point over a hundred miles above 
the mouth of the river, in the Republic of New Leon. 

On the 23d of September, 1846, Lieutenant Grant took 
part in the splendid operation of General Taylor against 
Monterey, which place the Mexicans had strongly fortified. 
In these works were posted a far superior force of Mexicans; 
but General Taylor was determined to drive them out of 
their intrenchments, and succeeded. 

The American campaign in Mexico was now about to 
assume a different phase of character. "War had been 
regularly declared, and a systemized plan of attack was 
made out. The advance by the northern route was to be 
made secondary to the grand movement by way of Vera 
Cruz ; and the army and navy, as in the present war, were 
both to be brought into active use. 

After General Scott had effected a landing above Vera 
Cruz, the forces on the Rio Grande were in part brought 
down that river to co-operate with him ; and among the 
others was the Fourth Infantry. Lieutenant Grant, follow- 
ing the fortunes of his regiment, was, with it, transferred 
to the command under that general, and participated in the 
siege operations which finally caused the surrender of Vera 
Cruz, on the 29th day of March, 1847. 

It now began to be perceived by his commanding officers, 
that Lieutenant Grant possessed some talents more than 
ordinary, and during the early part of April, when the 
army was preparing to advance into the interior of the 
Mexican country, Lieutenant Grant was appointed the 
quartermaster of his regiment, a post both honorable and 
of vital importance to an army in a strange country — the 
home of an enemy. With this position he participated in 
the whole of the remainder of the Mexican campaign, 
to the occupation, by the United States forces, of the 
capital. 



34 GENERAL GBANT 

It was while holding this staff appointment that Lieu- 
tenant Grant's brave disposition came more prominently 
before his commanding officers. His position in the army- 
did not of necessity call upon him to enter into the actual 
strife ; but, at the same time, his nature would not allow of 
his keeping out of it, when he found that his services wei'e 
needed in the field. At the battle .of Molino del Rey, on 
the 8th of September, 1847, he behaved with such distin- 
guished gallantry and merit, that he was appointed on the 
field a first-lieutenant, to date from the day of that battle. 
Congress afterwards wished to confirm the appointment as 
a mere brevet, but Grant declined to accept it under such 
circumstances. 

At the battle of Chapultepec, on the 13th day of Sep- 
tember, 1847, Lieutenant Grant behaved with the most 
distinguished gallantry,* and also during the subsequent 

* In the report of Captain Horace Brooks, Second Artillery, of the battle 
of Chapultepec, he says : 

" I succeeded in reaching the fort with a few men. Here Lieutenant 
U. S. Grant, and a few more men of the Fourth Infantry found me, and, 
by a joint movement, after an obstinate resistance, a strong field-work 
was carried, and the enemy's right was completely turned." 

The report of Major Francis Lee, commanding the Fourth Infantry, of 
the battle of Chapultepec, says : 

"At the first barrier the enemy was in strong force, which rendered 
it necessary to advance with caution. This was done, and when the 
head of the battalion was within short musket range of the barrier, 
Lieutenant Grant, Fourth Infantry, and Captain Brooks, Second Artillery, 
with a few men of their respective regiments, by a handsome movement 
to the left, turned the right flank of the enemy, and the barrier was 
carried. * * * Second-Lieutenant Grant behaved with distinguished 
gallantry on the 13th and 14th." * * * 

The report of Brevet Colonel John Garland, commanding the First 
Brigade, of the battle of Chapultepec, says: 

" The rear of the enemy had made a stand behind a breastwork, from 
which they were driven by detachments of tho Second Artillery, under 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 35 

battles, which only ceased with the final surrender of the 
city of Mexico. * 

Lieutenant Grant received the brevet of captain of the 
regular army, for gallant and meritorious conduct in the 
battle of Chapultepec, his rank to date from September 13, 
1847, the day of that battle. The brevet was awarded to 
him in 1849; the nomination sent into Congress during 
the session of 1849-50, and confirmed during the executive 
session of 1850. 

On the 16th day of September, 1847, the brave second 
lieutenant was commissioned a first-lieutenant in the 
Fourth Regiment of Regular Infantry, still holding his bre- 
vet rank of captain of three days prior date. 

The following were the officers of the Fourth Regiment 
of United States Regular Infantry during the war with 

Mexico : 

Lieutenant-Colonel 

John Garland, who participated in the whole of the Mexican war, and 
commanded a brigade, received a brevet colonelcy from Resaca de la 
Palma, and a brevet as brigadier-general from Churubusco. He was 
severely wounded in the capture of the city of Mexico; was made 
colonel of the Eighth Regular Infantry Regiment in May, 1849, and died 
in the city of New York, June 5, 1861. 

Captain Brooks, and the Fourth Infantry, under Lieutenant Grant, sup- 
ported by other regiments of the division, after a short but sharp conflict. 
* * I recognized the command as it came up, mounted a howitzer on 
the top of a convent, which, under the direction of Lieutenant Grant, 
quartermaster of the Fourth Infantry, and Lieutenant Lendrum, Third 
Artillery, annoyed the enemy considerably. * * * I must not omit 
to call attention to Lieutenant Grant, Fourth Infantry, who acquitted 
himself most nobly, upon several occasions, under my own observation." 

In this particular mention of officers for gallantry and good conduct, 
besides the officers of his own staff, General Garland names but one other 
officer, besides Lieutenant Grant, out of his whole brigade. 

General Worth's report, September 16th, also speaks highly of Lieu- 
tenant Grant. 



36 GENERAL G1U.NT 



Major 



Francis Lee, who had entered upon the campaign as captain in the 
Seventh Eeg't U. S. Regular Infantry, was brevetted lieutenant-colonel 
from Churubusco, and colonel from El Molino del Rey. He became 
colonel of the Second Regiment of Regular Infantry, October 18, 1855, 
and died at St. Louis, Missouri, January 19, 1859. 

Captains. 

George 'W. Allen (who had been brevetted major from Florida) was 
further brevetted lieutenant-colonel from Resaca de la Palma. Ee was 
next promoted to be a major of the Second Regiment Regular Infantry, 
and died at Vera Cruz, on March 15, 1848. 

John Page was mortally wounded in the first battle, Palo Alto, and 
died on the 12th of July, 1846. 

William M. Graham (who had been brevetted major from Florida) 
continued with the regiment until February, 1847; was promoted major 
of the Second Regiment of Regular Infantry, on February 16, 1847, and 
afterwards to lieutenant-colonel of the Eleventh U. S. Infantry, a 
regiment especially organized for the Mexican war. He was several 
times wounded during the campaign, and was finally killed at El Molino 
del Rey, on September 8, 1847. 

Pitcairn Morrison was brevetted major from Resaca de la Palma, be- 
came major of the Eighth Regiment of U. S. Infantry, on September 26, 
1847 ; lieutenant-colonel of the Seventh Regular Infantry, on June 9» 
1853, and colonel of the Eighth Regular Infantry, June 6, 1861, with 
which rank he retired from the service during the fall of 1863. 

George A. McCall, was brevetted major and lieutenant-colonel from 
Resaca de la Palma, and afterwards appointed to the Adjutant-General's 
Department as inspector-general. He resigned the service on April 29, 
1853, and came in as a volunteer at the commencement of the Rebellion. 

Gouverneur Morris was brevetted major from Resaca de la Palma, pro- 
moted to major of the Third Infantry, on January 31, 1850, and lieu- 
tenant-colonel of the First Infantry, May 31, 1857. He was retired from 
the service on September 9, 1861. 

Robert C. Buchanan, was brevetted major from Resaca de la Palma, 
and lieutenant-colonel from El Molino del Rey. He served through 
the whole of the Mexican war with great credit, and was, in 1848, 
appointed acting inspector-general. He resumed his regimental posi- 
tion, and jvas promoted major of the regiment on February 3, 1855, 
and lieutenant-colonel on the 9th of September, 1861, which rank he 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 37 

held at the commencement of 1864, when he was employed as Superin- 
tendent of Volunteer Recruiting in the State of New Jersey. 

Charles H. Larnard was brevetted major from Resaca de la Palma, 
and was drowned in Puget's Sound, near Fort Madison, Washington 
Territory, on the 27th of March, 1854. 

Benjamin Alvord was brevetted captain from Resaca de la Palma, and 
major from the National Bridge. He became a paymaster, with the rank 
of major, from June 22, 1854, and during the Rebellion was appointed a 
brigadier-genoral of volunteers. 

Henry L. Scott was appointed aide and acting adjutant-general to 
General Scott, gained the brevet of major from Churubusco, and lieu- 
tenant-colonel from Chapultepec. He becamo special aide to General 
Scott on March 7, 1855, and retired from the service on the 30th of 
October, 1861. 

First Lieutenants. 

Henry Prince, the adjutant of the regiment, was brevetted captain from 
Churubusco, and was severely wounded at, and brevetted major from, 
El Molino del Rey. He was appointed paymaster, May 23, 1855, and 
brigadier-general of volunteers during the War of the Rebellion. 

Charles Hoskins, the former adjutant of the regiment, was killed at 
Monterey, September 21, 1846. 

Richard H. Graham was mortally wounded at Monterey, September 21, 

1846, and died on October 12, 1846. 

John H. Gore was brevetted captain from Churubusco, and major from 
El Molino del Rey. He died, August 1, 1852, in the Bay of Panama, 
Naw Grenada. 

Richard K Cochran was killed in the second battle of the war, Resaca 
de la Palma, on May 9, 1846. 

Theodore H. Porter was killed in a skirmish near the Rio Grande, on 
April 19, 1846. 

Sidney Smith was wounded at El Molino del Rey, and was mortally 
wounded in the attack upon the city of Mexico, on September 14, 

1847, and died on September 16, 1847. 

Granville 0. Haller served through the whole of the Mexican war ; was 
brevetted captain from El Molino del Rey, and major from Chapultepec i 
became captain in January, 1848, and Major of the Seventh Infantry, 
September 25,1861; and was summarily dismissed from the service 
during the summer of 1863. 

Henry D. Wallen was wounded at Palo Alto, May 8, 1846, became 
adjutant from February, 1849, to May, 1850 ; captain from January 31, 



3 b vi^jSfEEAL gra:n t t 

1850, and Major of the Seventh Infantry from November 25, 1861. He 
held this position at the beginning of 1864. 

Henderson Ridgeley was acting assistant adjutant-general to Brigadier- 
General Lane, and was killed at the Pass of Guadalaxara, on the '2ith 
of November, 1847. 

Jenks Beaman participated in the battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la 
Palma ; commanded his company in the battle of El Molino del Roy, and 
died at Tampico, on the 6th of May, 1848. 

Second Lieutenants. 

Christopher R. Perry, after participating in part of the campaign, died 
at sea, on his return homo, October 8, 1848. 

Christopher C. Augur was aide to General Hopping, and, after the war 
in Mexico, remained in the U. S. Army. During the War of the Rebellion 
he became a major-general of volunteers. 

Ulysses S. Grant. 

Henry M. Judah was brevetted a first lieutenant from El Molino 
del Rey, and captain from Chapultepec. During the War of the Rebel- 
lion he commanded a division in General Grant's Military Division of 
the Mississippi. 

James S. Woods was brevetted first lieutenant from Resaca de la 
Palma, and was killed at Monterey, September 21, 1846. 

Alexander Hays was brevetted first lieutenant from Resaca de la 
Palma, and became acting assistant adjutant-general to Brigadier- 
General Lane. He resigned the service on April 12, 1848, and volun- 
teered during the War of the Rebellion. 

Abram B. Lincoln was wounded at, and brevetted first lieutenant 
from, El Molino del Rey, and died at Pilatka, Florida, April 15, 1852. 

Thomas J. Montgomery commanded his company at the battles of 
Churubusco and El Molino del Rey; became first lieutenant during 
December, 1847, and captain, in March, 1854, and died at Fort Steila- 
coom, Washington Territory, November 22, 1854. 

David A. Russell was brevetted first lieutenant from the National 
Bridge, and, remaining in the regular army after the war, became a 
brigadier-general of volunteers during the War of the Rebellion. 

Alexander P. Rodgers was wounded, and afterwards killed, at Cha- 
pultepec, September 13, 1847. 

Delancey Floyd Jones was brevetted first lieutenant from El Molino 
del Rey, but is no longer on the roll of army officers. 

Maurice Maloney was brevetted first lieutenant from El Molino del 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 39 

Rey, and captain from Cliapultepec ; was wounded at the San Cosmo 
Gate, on September 13, 1847 ; became first lieutenant during May, 
1848, captain in November, 1854, and Major of the First Infantry, Sep- 
tember 16, 1862, which rank he held at the beginning of 1864. 

Archibald B. Botts died on the first of January, 1847, at Camargo, 
Mexico. 

Thomas R. McConnell was brevetted first lieutenant at El Molino del 
Rey, and captain from Chapultepec; became captain, in February, 
1855, and resigned the service on March 11, 1856. 

Edmund Russell was wounded at Churubusco ; was brevetted first 
eutenant from El Molino del Rey, and was killed by the Indians, near 
Red Bluff, California, on March 24, 1853. 

Of the foregoing, the following only have occupied 
prominent positions during the War of the Rebellion : 

Captain George Archibald McCall was appointed the com- 
mander of the division of troops known as the "Pennsyl- 
vania Reserve Corps," which consisted of three brigades 
and fifteen regiments, and fought with the Army of the 
Potomac, with the rank of brigadier-general of volunteers, 
from May 17, 1861. He resigned his connection with the 
United States service on March 31, 1863. 

Captain Robert C. Buchanan was appointed Lieutenant- 
Colonel of the Fourth Infantry on September 9, 1861, and 
afterwards nominated for a volunteer brigadier-general's 
commission ; but being too far advanced in years to endure 
the fatigues and laborious marches in the field during the 
civil war, he was principally kept in command of posts and 
garrisons within the Union lines. 

Captain Benjamin Alvord became a brigadier-general 
of volunteers during the War of the Rebellion. 

Lieutenant and Adjutant Henry Prince obtained a com- 
mission as brigadier-general of volunteers, dating from 
April 28, 1862, and participated in the campaigns in North 
Carolina and Virginia. At the beginning of 1864, he was 



40 GENERAL GRANT 

in command of the Second Division of the Third Army 
Corps. 

Lieutenant Christopher C. Augur distinguished himself 
during the Rebellion in the various capacities of brigade, 
division, and corps commander, and, on January 1, 1864, 
held the command of the Department of Washington, and 
of the Twenty-Second Army Corps, with head-quarters at 
the national capital. Rank, major-general of volunteers, 
from August 9, 1862. 

Lieutenant Henry M. Judah was appointed a brigadier- 
general of volunteers on the 21st of March, 1862 ; distin- 
guished himself in the pursuit of the rebel guerilla chief, 
General John H. Morgan, and in the Eastern Tennessee 
campaign of 1863. On January 1, 1864, he held the com- 
mand of a division in the Twenty-Third Army Corps, which 
formed a part of General Grant's Military Division of the 
Mississippi. 

Lieutenant Alexander Hays was appointed a brigadier- 
general of volunteers from September 29, 1862, he having 
previously held the command of a company of the Sixteenth 
Regiment of U. S. Regular Infantry. At the beginning 
of 1864, he was in command of a division in the Second 
Army Corps, then with the Army of the Potomac. 

Lieutenant David A. Russell, having held the rank 
of Major of the Eighth Regiment of Regular Infantry, was 
appointed a brigadier-general of volunteers, on November 
29, 1862, and distinguished himself during 1863, while in 
command of a brigade, and afterwards of a division of the 
Second Army Corps, then with the Army of the Potomac. 

It will thus be seen that the young second lieutenant, 
of the Mexican war, has far outstripped all his regimental 
companions — many of whom then outranked him ; and he 
has done so by his military merit alone. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 41 



CHAPTER IV. 

SUBSEQUENT SERVICES AND RESIGNATION— CIVIL LIFE. 

• The struggles in Mexico having at last settled down 
into the mere brigandage so common to that coun- 
try, the various volunteer troops of the United States 
Arm* were disbanded, and the regular regiments ordered 
back to the United States. Lieutenant Grant came home 
with his regiment— the Fourth Regular Infantry— and dis- 
embarked within the harbor of New York. The regiment 
was then distributed in companies and sections among the 
various northern frontier defences, along the borders of 
the States of Michigan and New York ; and in one of these 
forts the young brevet captain commanded his company. 

The emigration furor to California of 1850-51, carried 
to that El Dorado region an immense number of the vilest 
characters of all parts of the world ; and the thirst for gold 
rendered all moral law and obligations, in that territory, 
subservient to violent might. To preserve even a show of 
law and order, and to restrain the Indians from murderous 
attacks upon the whites, the Government dispatched a 
force of troops to that part of the country, and among 
others the Fourth Regular Infantry was ordered to the De- 
partment of the Pacific. The battalion to which Lieuten- 
ant Grant was attached was sent up into Oregon, and, for 
some time, had its head-quarters at Fort Dallas, in that 
territory. 
Tt was while the regiment was engaged in this duty that 



42 GENERAL GRANT 

Lieutenant Grant received his full promotion to captain 
of infantry, with a commission dating from August, 1853. 

Captain Grant shortly after became attached to the De- 
partment of the West ; but, anticipating more chances of 
progress in civil life than in the military, during the then 
prospective happy times of peace, he resigned his connec- 
tion with the United States Army, on the 31st day of 
July, 1854. 

Thus, for a time, the valuable services of the embryo 
hero were lost to the country, and his talents hid from the 
world. But like a cork, held by the finger at the bottom 
of a vessel of water, the release of which is no sooner 
effected by the removal of the pressure than it springs 
higher than ever above the surface, has Grant again sprung 
into notoriety. 

After Captain Grant had severed his connection with 
the military service, he made his residence near the city 
of St. Louis, Missouri, and was there engaged in commer- 
cial pursuits until the year 1859. 

The following is extracted from the letter of one who 
had taken some pains to trace the history of Grant's life 
while a resident in and near St. Louis : 

" General Grant occupied a little farm to the southwest of St. Louis, 
whence he was in the habit of cutting the wood, drawing it to Carondelet, 
and selling it in the market there. Many of his wood purchasers are 
now calling to mind that they had a cord of wood delivered in person 
by the great General Grant. "When he came into the wood market he 
was usually dressed in an old felt hat, with a blouse coat, and his pants 
tucked in the tops of his boots. In truth, he bore the appearance of 
a sturdy, honest woodman. This was his winter's work. In the sum- 
mer lie turned a collector of debts ; but for this he was not qualified, 
lie had a noble and truthful soul; so when he was told that the debtor 
had no money, he believed him, and would not trouble the debtor again. 
One of the leading merchants of St. Louis mentioned this circumstance 
to me. From all I can learn of his history here, he was honest, truthful. 



&SD HIS CAMPAIGNS. 43 

indefatigable— always at work at something; but be did not possess the 
knack of making money. He was honorable, for he always repaid bor- 
rowed money. His habits of life were hardy, inexpensive, and simple. 
About his being an inebriate, I find nothing to confirm it. On a cold 
day, when he had brought a load of wood to the Carondelet market, he 
would take something to keep himself warm. This, so far as I can trace, 
is the foundation of many reports of his inebriety."* 

During 1859, Grant entered into partnership with his 
father, in the leather trade, and opened business in the city 
of Galena, Jo Daviess county, Illinois. This city is located 
on the Fevre River, about six miles above the point where 
it falls into the Mississippi, of which it is properly an arm. 
The city is built upon a bluff, with the streets rising 
one above the other, and communicating by means of 
flights of steps. Large portions of the States of Wiscon- 
sin, Iowa, and Minnesota are tributary to this town, and 
consequently it is a place of considerable trade. 

The leather house of Grant & Son soon became a very 
prosperous concern, and, at the time of the outbreak of the 
rebellion, presented one of the best business prospects of 
any house in Galena. The younger Grant devoted himself 
to his business, and made it a study, so that, after a short 
time, the recommendation of a piece of leather by either of 
the firm of Grant & Son, was a sure guarantee of its good 
quality. 

While alluding to the leather business of this firm, it will 
not be out of place to repeat an anecdote connected 
with General Grant, while at Vicksburg. 

The Illinois politicians were everlastingly trying to 
inveigle General Grant into some debate, or the rendering 
of some definite idea or opinion in relation to the state of 
the varic is political parties of the country, and their pro- 



* St. Louis correspondence of the Milwaukie Wisconsin, January, 1SC4 



44 GENERAL GRANT 

fessed tenets. General Grant, however, was not to be 
drawn out. lie had never attached himself to any other 
party than that of the true patriot, and all minor issues 
were, to that feeling, made entirely subservient, even if 
he knew or cared any thing at all about them. 

While operating in the vicinity of Yicksburg, his pro- 
fessed political friends paid a visit to his head-quarters, and 
after a short time spent in compliments, they touched upon 
the never-ending subject of polities. One of the party was 
in the midst of a very flowery speech, using all his 
rhetorical powers to induce the general, if possible, to view 
matters in the same light as himself, when he was sudden- 
ly stopped by Grant. 

" There is no use of talking politics to me. I know 
nothing about them ; and, furthermore, I do not know of 
any person among my acquaintances who does. But," 
continued he, " there is one subject with which I am per- 
fectly acquainted ; talk of that, and I am your man." 

" What is that, General ?" asked the politicians, in great 
surprise. 

" Tanning leather," was the reply. 

The subject was immediately changed. 

On another occasion, an infamous proposal was made by 
a person to General Grant, while he was staying at his 
he 1 1-quarters " in the field." The general, irritated, 
administered a severe kick to the proposer with the toe of 
his great cavalry boot; and, after the fellow had been 
driven from the tent, one of his staff remarked to a com- 
panion, that he did not think the general had hurt the 
rascal. 

" Never fear," was the reply ; " that boot never fails 
under such circumstances, for the leather came from 
Grant's store, in Galena." 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 



45 



CHAPTER V. 

TIIE REBELLION — GRANT VOLUNTEERS, AND BECOMES A 
BRIGADIER-GENERAL. 

The attacks made by the rebels upon the arsenals 
and forts of the United States were enough to inflame the 
patriotic ardor of Grant, as well as that of all the loyal West 
Pointers who had retired into civil life ; but when Fort 
Sumter was fired upon, he at once gave up his business, 
prosperous as it was, and tendered his services to the Gcr- 
ernor of the State in which he resided, in answer to 
the call of the President for volunteers. Governor Yates, 
of Illinois, at first retained him near his person, as an aide 
upon his staff as command er-in-chief of the Illinois forces, 
and gave him the responsible position of mustering officer 
of Illinois volunteers. 

It is owing a great deal to the enthusiastic labors of 
Grant, as mustering officer, that Illinois was enabled to 
turn out as many men as she did at the early stages of the 
war. Her quota was more than filled, and the men were 
speedily put into the field. But Grant could not sit down 
in the office of the mustering department while his services 
were more actively needed against the enemy in the field ; and 
he therefore requested, that the Governor would give him 
some position in connec.ion with one of the three years' 
regiments, then being raised. He therefore, about the 
middle of June, 1861, resigned his appointment as muster- 
ing officer, and accepted the colonelcy of the Twenty-first 



46 GEXEKAL GKANT 

Regiment of Illinois Volunteers, with a commission dating 
from June 15, 1861. 

Colonel Grant at once left the capital of the State to 
join his regiment, then organizing at Mattoon, Illinois, and 
removed the men to the camp at Caseyville, where he per- 
sonally superintended their drill and equipment. 

As soon as the regiment was considered fit to enter upon 
active duties in the field, it was removed across the Missis- 
sippi River into Missouri, and formed part of the guard of 
the Hannibal and Hudson Railroad, a line running across 
the northern part of the State, from the Mississippi River 
to St. Joseph, on the border of Kansas, and one of the 
branches of the main lines which connected the East with 
the West. 

On the 31st of July, 1861, Colonel Grant was placed in 
command of the troops at Mexico, on the North Missouri 
Railroad. Colonel Grant's force, at this time, formed a 
portion of Brigadier-General John Pope's command, which 
embraced the section of country north of the Missouri 
River, then known as the " District of North Missouri." 
It was, however, shortly after transferred to Pilot Knob, 
which was fortified and garrisoned. The regiment next 
marched to Ironton, Missouri; thence to Marble Creek, 
which it garrisoned. These movements occupied most of 
the time until about the 23d of August, 1861, when Colo- 
nel Grant was detached from his regimental command and 
appointed to the rank of brigadier-general of volunteers, 
with a commission dating from May 17, 1861. 

The following table will show the relative position of 
General Grant, on May 17, 1861, with the others of the 
same rank, appointed on the same day, and how each of 
these generals was employed towards the close of the war. 



A3TD HIS CAMTAIGXS. 



47 



Generals. 
Samuel P. Heintzelrnan, 
Erasmus D. Keyes, 
Andrew Porter, 
Fitz John Porter, 
Win. B. Franklin, 
Wa T. Sherman, 

Charles P. Stone, 
Don Carlos Buell, 
Thomas W. Sherman, 
James Oakes, 
John Pope, 

George A. McCall, 
William R. Montgomery, 
Philip Kearney, 
Joseph Hooker, 

John W. Phelps, 
Ulysses S. Grant, 
Joseph J. Reynolds, 
Samuel R. Curtis, 
Charles S. Hamilton, 
Darius N. Couch, 

Rufus King, 
J. D. Cox, 

Stephen A. Hurlhut, 
Franz Sigel, 
Robert C. Schenck, 
B. M. Prentiss, 
Frederick W. Lander, 
Benj. F. Kelly, 

John A. McClernand, 
A. S. Williams, 
I. B. Richardson, 
Williamj3prague, 
James Cooper, 



January 1, 1864. 
Not in active field service. 

do. do. 

do. do. 

Cashiered. 

Commanding 19th Army Corps. 
Commanding a Department under 

General Grant. 
Chief of Staff to General Banks. 
Not in active field service. 
Temporarily invalided. 
Not in service. 
Commanding Department of the 

Northwest. 
Resigned. 

Not in active field service. 
Dead. 
Commanding Grand Division under 

General Grant. 
Resigned. 



Commanding troops at New Orleans. 
Not in active field service. 

do. do. 

Commanding Department of the 

Susquehanna. 
Foreign Minister. 
Comm'ding Corps under Gen. Grant. 

do. do. 

Not in active field service. 
In Congress. 
Resigned. 
Dead. 
Commanding Department of West 

era Virginia. 
Not in active field service. 
Commanding a Division. 
Dead. 
Declined. 
Dead. 



4S GENERAL GRANT 

By referring to the foregoing, it will be perceived that 
the name of Ulysses S. Grant stood No. 17— exactly half 
way down the list, — at the time he received his brigadier- 
general's commission. Before the war closed it is shown, 
General Grant commanded as much territory and as many 
troops in the field as all the other thirty-three generals 
combined— a rapid rise in position scarcely equalled by 
any officer of modern times, Napoleon excepted. 



AND HIS CAMTAIGNS. 49 



CHAPTER VI. 

POST AND DISTRICT COMMANDER. BELMONT. 

As soon as General Grant had been invested with the 
rank and authority sufficient to enable him to take the 
command of a post, he was placed in charge of the 
one at Cairo, and his forces were increased by the addi- 
tion of another brigade, which had been organized for, 
and was under the command of, Brigadier-General John 
A. McClernand. 

The post at Cairo included within its jurisdiction the 
Missouri shore of the Mississippi River, from Cape Gi- 
rardeau to New Madrid, and the opposite Illinois shore, to 
the point of land on which Cairo stood. This post com- 
manded the mouth of the Ohio River, and was the key to 
the Upper Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. Its impor- 
tance as a defensive military position, and also as a base 
of operations, at the early stages of the war, was without 
estimate ; and even now as a permanent base of supplies, 
its value is great, and its loss would be severely felt by the 
Union army. 

At this time, the State of Kentucky was in that incom- 
prehensible condition designated as neutral; but as the 
line that separated Tennessee, which had seceded, from 
Kentucky, which had not, was a mere imaginary one ; and 
as the rebel forces of the seceding States were stationed so 
closely on these borders, it is not to be wondered at that 
3 



60 GENERAL GRANT 

they often crossed the line into the neutral State, especially 
when it was to their advantage so to do. 

General Grant no sooner found out that this course of 
policy was being adopted by the rebels, and that they had 
actually encroached upon the State of Kentucky, and 
were fortifying Columbus and Hickman, on the Mississippi 
River, and Bowling Green, on the Big Barren River, than 
he ordered the seizure of Paducah, a valuable post at the 
mouth of the Tennessee River. This village was occupied 
on September 6, 1861, and within nineteen days he also 
held possession of Smithland, at the mouth of the Cum- 
berland River. By these movements he not only blockaded 
the rivers leading up into the Rebel States, against the run- 
ning of supplies and contraband articles for the use of 
those who were up in arms against the government ; but 
he also secured two fine bases for further operations, and 
cleared out the guerillas, who were trying to blockade the 
Ohio River, below those points. He also garrisoned each 
of these places with a force sufficient to hold them ; but 
still retained his head-quarters at Cairo, which had then 
become the head-quarters of the sub-department or Dis- 
trict of Southeast Missouri. 

At the time when General Grant took possession of Pa- 
ducah, he found secession flags flying in different parts of 
the city, in expectation of greeting the arrival of the rebel 
forces, which were reported to be nearly four thousand 
strong, and not many miles distant. The landing of the 
Union troops was a signal for a general uprising of the 
loyal citizens of the place, who, being properly supported, 
in effect, if not in fact, at once tore down from the houses 
of the rebel sympathizers the secession flags which they 
had raised. 

General Grant immediately took possession of the tele- 
graph office, railroad depot, hospitals, etc., and other points 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 



51 



of importance, after which he issued the following pro- 
clamation to the citizens : 

Paducah, Kt., September 6, 1861. 
To the citizens of Paducah : 

1 am come among you, not as an enemy, but as your fellow-citizen. 
Not to maltreat you nor annoy you, but to respect and enforce the rights 
of all loyal citizens. An enemy, in rebellion against our common gov- 
ernment, has taken possession of, and planted its guns on the soil of Ken- 
tucky, and fired upon you. Columbus and Hickman are in his hands. 
He is moving upon your city. I am here to defend you against this ene- 
my, to assist the authority and sovereignty of your government. I have 
nothing to do with opinions, and shall deal only with armed rebellion, and 
its aiders and abettors. You can pursue your usual avocations without 
fear. The strong arm of the government is here to protect its friends, 
and punish its enemies. "Whenever it is manifest that you are able to 
defend yourselves, and maintain the authority of the government, and 
protect the rights of loyal citizens, I shall withdraw the forces under 
my command. U. S. Grant, Brig.- Gen. Commanding. 



The tone of the above proclamation speaks well for the 
temper of the soldier, who, although in the midst of ene- 
mies, and with the power in his hands, yet refused to use 
that power further than he, of actual necessity, was called 
upon to do by the exigencies of his position. 

General Grant, when in camp at Cairo, presented little, 
in fact nothing, of the gewgaws and trappings which are 
generally attached to the attire of a general ; and in this 
respect, he showed a marked contrast between himself and 
some of his sub-lieutenants, whose bright buttons and glit- 
tering shoulder-straps were perfectly resplendent. The 
general, instead, would move about the camp with his 
attire carelessly thrown on, and left to fall as it pleased. 
In fact, he seemed to care nothing at all about his personal 
appearance, and in the place of the usual military hat and 
gold cord, he wore an old battered black hat, generally 



52 GENERAL GRANT 

designated as a " stove-pipe," an article that neither of his 
subordinates would have stooped to pick up, even if unob- 
served. In his mouth he carried a black-looking cigar, 
and he seemed to be perpetually smoking. 

In connection with these facts, a detractor of General 
Grant was, on one occasion, speaking rather sarcastically of 
the stove-pipe General and his passion for cigars, when he was 
taken up by one of Grant's friends, who said : " Such a bright 
stove-pipe as Grant, should be excused for smoking." 

Several reconnoissances were made down the Mississippi 
River and inland from the Ohio River, and occasionally 
skirmishes would also take place. At these contests pris- 
oners would sometimes be taken on both sides, and the 
following correspondence was the result of these captures ; 

Head-Quarters, First Division, 
Western Department, October, 1861. 
To the Commanding Officer at Cairo and Bird's Point : 

I have in my camp a number of prisoners of the Federal army, 
and am informed there are prisoners belonging to the Missouri State troops 
in yours. I propose an exchange of these prisoners, and for that pur- 
pose send Captain Polk of the artillery, and Lieutenant Smith of the 
infantry, both of the Confederate States Army, with a flag of truce, to 
deliver to you this communication, and to know your pleasure in regard 
to my proposition. 

The principles recognized in the exchange of prisoners effected on 
the 3d of September, between Brigadier-General Pillow, of the Con- 
federate Army, and Colonel "Wallace, of the U. S. Army, are those I 
propose as the basis of that now contemplated. 

Respectfully, your obedient servant, 

L. Polk, Major- General Commanding. 

To which communication General Grant dispatched the 
following reply : 

District of Southeast Missouri, 
Head-Quarters, Cairo, October 14, 1S61. 
General: — Yours of this date is just received. In regard to an 
exchange of prisoners, as proposed, I can, of my own accordance, make 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 



53 



none. I recognize no "Southern Confederacy" myself, but will com- 
municate with higher authorities for their views. Should I not ba 
sustained, I will find means of communicating with you. 

Respectfully, your obedient servant, 

U. S. Grant, Brig.- Gen. Commanding. 
To Major-General Pole, Columbus, Ky. 

On the 16th of October, 1861, General Grant ordered a 
portion of his forces under Colonel Plummer, then stationed 
at Cape Girardeau, Mo., to march towards Fredericktown, 
by way of Jackson and Dallas, and in conjunction with 
Colonel Carlin, who was moving in another direction, to 
check the advance of, and, if possible, defeat the rebel 
forces, then advancing northward under Brigadier-General 
Jeff Thompson. The movement was a success ; and on the 
morning of October 21, 1861, the rebels were defeated, 
and the U. S. troops afterwards returned to their former 

posts. 

Having thus secured the information he required relative 
to the position of Jeff Thompson's forces, and also having 
learned that others were concentrating at the rebel camp 
at Belmont, Mo., General Grant at the head of two brigades, 
commanded respectively by General McClernand and him- 
self, left Cairo on November 6, 1861, for that point. On 
the opposite Kentucky shore, the rebels had fortified a 
position at Columbus, which was to command the camp at 
Belmont, as well as to blockade the Mississippi River. 

The two U. S. brigades landed at Belmont, at eight 
o'clock of the morning of November 7, were at once form- 
ed into line of battle, and immediately attacked the 
rebel works, where they found the enemy in force under 
General Cheatham. The rebel forces were driven to and 
through their camp, and their battery of twelve guns was 



54 GENERAL GRANT 

captured. The camp was then burned, and the enemy's 
baggage and horses taken. Several prisoners also fell into 
the hands of the Union troops, and the attack was a com- 
plete triumph. 

But at the very moment when victory was deemed cer- 
tain, several large bodies of rebel troops from Columbus 
and Hickman crossed the Mississippi River, and re-enforced 
those at Belmont. This re-enforcement made the enemy 
numerically stronger than the forces under General Grant, 
and after another severe fight, the Union troops had to 
withdraw to their transports, their retreat being well 
covered by the ordnance of the gunboats. 

The following is from a private letter from General 
Grant to his father, written on the night of the 8th : 

" Day before yesterday I left Cairo with about three thousand men in 
five steamers, convoyed by two gunboats, and proceeded down the riv- 
er to within about twelve miles of Columbus. The next morning the 
boats were dropped down just out of range of the enemy's batteries, and 
the troops debarked. During this operation our gunboats exercised the 
rebels by throwing shells into their camps and batteries. When all 
ready, we proceeded about one mile toward Belmont, opposite Columbus, 

Note. — Now that the clouds which mystified the view of this battle 
have cleared away, it is far from established that the Union troops were 
defeated on this occasion. General Polk's dispatch to Richmond, plainly 
shows the rebels to have suffered heavily, and to have lost part of their 
artillery. Nor should General Grant be blamed for the result of the 
expedition. He was ordered to make the attack, and, being only a Dis- 
trict Commander, he had to obey his superior officer at the head of the 
Department, except as to the time and manner of fighting. That the 
attack was well planned and brilliantly executed there can be no manner 
of doubt, the troops displaying great bravery ; and but for the heavy 
re-enforcements of the enemy, Belmont certainly would have been classed 
as one of the early victories for the Union arms. All this is established; 
and had the North nothing worse to contemplate than the affair at Bel- 
mont, the record of the war would be almost stainless. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 55 

when I formed the troops into line, and ordered two companies from 
each regiment to deploy as skirmishers, and push on through the woods 
and discover the position of the enemy. They had gone but a little way 
when they were fired upon, and the ball may be said to have fairly 
opened. 

" The whole command, with the exception of a small reserve, was then 
deployed in like manner and ordered forward. The order was obeyed 
with great alacrity, the men all showing great courage. I can say with 
great gratification that every colonel, without a single exception, set an 
example to their commands that inspired a confidence that will always 
insure victory when there is the slightest possibility of gaining one. 
I feel truly proud to command such men. 

" From here we fought our way from tree to tree through the woods to 
.Belmont, about two and a half miles, the enemy contesting every foot of 
ground. Here the enemy had strengthened their position by felling the 
trees for two or three hundred yards and sharpening their limbs, making 
k sort of abatis. Our men charged through, making the victory complete, 
giving us possession of their camp and garrison equipage, artillery, and 
every thing else. 

" "We got a great many prisoners. The majority, however, succeeded 
in getting aboard their steamers and pushing across the river. We 
burned every thing possible and started back, having accomplished all 
that we went for, and even more. Belmont is entirely covered by the 
batteries from Columbus, and is worth nothing as a military position — 
cannot be held without Columbus. 

" The object of the expedition was to prevent the enemy from send- 
ing a force into Missouri to cut off troops I had sent there for a special 
purpose, and to prevent re-enforcing Price. 

" Besides being well fortified at Columbus, their number far exceeded 
ours, and it would have been folly to have attacked them. We found 
the Confederates well armed and brave. On our return, stragglers, that 
iad been left in our rear (now front), fired into us, and more recrossed 
the river and gave us battle for a full mile, and afterward at the boats 
tvhen we were embarking. 

" Thero was no hasty retreating or running away. Taking into ac- 
count the object of the expedition, the victory was complete. It has 
given us confidence in the officers and men of this command, that will 
enable us to lead them in any future engagement without fear of the re- 
sult. Gen. McClernand (who, by the way, acted with great coolness 
and courage throughout, and proved that he is a soldier as well as a 



ft (3 GENERAL, GRANT 

statesman) and myself, each had our horses shot under us. Most of the 
field-officers met with the same loss, beside nearly one-third of them be- 
ing themselves killed or wounded. As near as I can ascertain, our loss 
was about two hundred and fifty killed, wounded, and missing." 

General McClemand, in his official report of this battle, 
after speaking of the hotness of the engagement, and nar- 
row escapes of some of his officers, makes use of the 
following words : 

"Here the projectiles from the enemy's heavy guns at Columbus, and 
their artillery at Belmont, crashed through the woods over and among 
us. * * * And here, too, many of our officers were killed or wound- 
ed; nor shall I omit to add, that this gallant conduct was stimulated by 
your (Grant's) presence, and inspired by your example. Here your 
horse was killed under you." 

After the IT. S. troops had returned to their base of 
operations at Cairo, General Grant issued the following 
order : 

Head-Quarters, District of Southeast Missouri, 
Cairo, November 8, .1861. 
The General commanding this military district, returns^his thanks to 
the troops under his command at the battle of Belmont on yesterday. 

It has been his fortune to have been in all the battles fought in Mexico 
by Generals Scott and Taylor, save Buena Vista, and he never saw one 
more hotly contested, or where troops behaved with more gallantry. 

Such courage will insure victory wherever our flag may be borne and 
protected by such a class of men. 

To the brave men who fell, tho sympathy of the country is due, and 
will be manifested in a manner unmistakable. 

U. S. Grant, Brig.-Ge.\. Commanding. 

But, while General Grant was engaged in congratulating 
those who had returned safe, he was not unmindful of the 
sufferers who had fallen wounded into the hands of the 
enemy. Knowing the incomplete state of the Medical and 
Surgical Departments of the rebel army opposed to him, he 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 57 

addressed the following dispatch to the rebel general 
under a flag of truce : 

Head-Quarters, District of Southeast Missouri, 
Cairo, November 8, 1861. 
General commanding forces, Columbus, Kij. 

Sir: — In the skirmish of yesterday, in which both parties behaved 
with so much gallantry, many unfortunate men were left upon the field 
of battle, whom it was impossible to provide for. I now send, in the 
interest of humanity, to have these unfortunates collected and medical 
attendance secured them. Major Webster, Chief of Engineers, District 
Southeast Missouri, goes bearer of this, and will express to you my views 
upon the course that should be pursued under the circumstances, such 
as those of yesterday. 

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

U. S. Grant, Brig.-Gen. Commanding. 

To this communication, the commander of the rebel post 
returned the following answer : 

Head-Quarters, First Division, Western Department, 
Columbus, Ky., November 8, 18G1. 
Brigadier-General U. S. Grant, U. S. A. : 

I have received your note in regard to your wounded and killed on 
the battle-field, after yesterday's engagement. The lateness of the hour 
at which my troops returned to the principal scene of action prevented 
my bestowing the care upon the wounded which I desired. 

Such attentions as were practicable were shown them, and measures 
were taken at an early hour this morning to have them all brought into 
•my hospitals. Provision was also made for taking care of your dead. 
The permission you desire under your flag of truce to aid in attention to 
your wounded, is granted with pleasure, under such restrictions as the 
exigencies of our service may require. In your note you say nothing of 
an exchange of prisoners, though you send me a private message as to your 
willingness to release certain wounded men, and some invalids taken 
from our list of sick in camps, and expect, in return, a corresponding 
number of your wounded prisoners. My own feelings would prompt 
me to waive again the unimportant affectation of declining to recognize 
these States as belligerents, in the interests of humanity ; but my gov- 
3* 



58 GENEEAL GEANT 

ernment requires all prisoners to be placed at the disposal of the Secre- 
tary of "War. I have dispatched him to know if the case of the severely 
wounded held by me will form an exception. 

I have the honor to be, your obedient servant, 

L. Polk, Major- General 0. S. A. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 59 



CHAPTER VII. 

DISTRICT OF CAIRO. — GRAND RECONNOISSANCE. 

After General Halleck had assumed the command of 
the' Department of the Missouri, he began to organize the 
same into proper military districts, so as to allow each dis- 
trict commander to have full control of the section of 
country embraced within his lines. 

On the 20th of December, 1861, General Halleck, appre- 
ciating the military ability of General Grant, issued an 
order defining what should constitute the District of Cairo, 
and extending the command until it became one of the 
largest divisions in the country. He then appointed General 
Grant to be chief commander of the same. In accordance 
with that appointment, General Grant assumed the com- 
mand of the new district on December 21, 1861, and 
announced the same in the following order : 

Head-Quarters, District of Cairo, 
Cairo, December 21, 1861. 
[General Order No. 22.] 

In pursuance of Special Order No. 78, from Head-Quarters, Depart- 
ment of the Missouri, the name of this Military District will be know 
as the " District of Cairo," and will include all the southern part of llli 
nois, that part of Kentucky west of the Cumberland River, and the 
southern counties of Missouri, south of Cape Girardeau. 

The force at Shawneetown will be under the immediate command of 
Colonel T. H. Cavanaugh, Sixth Illinois Cavalry, who will consolidate 
the reports of his command weekly, and forward to these head- 
quarters. 

3* 



60 GENERAL GRAN 1 ! 

All troops that are, or may be, stationed along the banks of the Ohio, 
on both sides of the river, east of Caledonia, and to the mouth of the 
Cumberland, will be included in the command, having head-quarters at 
Paducah, Ky. 

Brigadier-General E. A. ' Paine is assigned to the command of the 
forces at Bird's Point, Missouri. 

All supplies of ordnance, Quarter-Master and Commissary stores, will 
be obtained through the chief's of each of these departments, at district 
head-quarters, where not otherwise provided for. 

For the information of that portion of this command, newly attached, 
the following list of Staff Officers is published : 

Captain John A. Rawlins, Assistant Adjutant-General. 

Captain Clark B. Lagow, Aide-de-Camp. 

Captain "Wm. S. Hillyer, Aide-de-Camp. 

Major John Biggin. Jr., Volunteer Aide-de-Camp. 

Captain R. B. Hatch, Assistant Quarter-Master U. S. Volunteers, 
Chief Quarter-Master. 

Captain W. W. Leland, A. C. S. U. S. Volunteers, Chief Commissary. 

Captain W. F. Brinck, Ordnance Officer. 

Surgeon James Simons, TJ. S. A., Medical Director. 

Assistant Surgeon, J. P. Taggart, TJ. S. A., Medical Purveyor. 

Major I. N. Cook, Pay-Master. 
. Colonel J. D. "Webster, Chief of Staff, and Chief of Engineers. 

By order, U.S. Grant, Brig.- Gen. Commanding. 

General Grant at once began organizing, under his per- 
sonal supervision, the new troops added to his command, 
and as soon as deemed fit for such service, they were sent 
to the various posts belonging to the district, including 
Fort Jefferson and Paducah, in Kentucky. By this plan 
of operation General Grant had all his troops well in hand, 
and yet so distributed that it was a matter of great diffi- 
culty, if not an actual impossibility, for the enemy to learn 
his strength. 

On the 10th of January, the forces under the immediate 
command of General McClernand, left Cairo in transports, 
and disembarked at Fort Jefferson. The transports were 
protected by two gunboats, which were next ordered 



A1ST> his campaigns. 01 

to lie off the fort. The rebels, with three armed vessels, 
attacked these gunboats the next morning ; but, after a 
brisk engagement, had to beat a retreat — the Union vessels 
chasing them until they took refuge under the guns of 
Columbus. 

As picket shooting had existed to a fearful extent in the 
vicinity of Cairo, General Grant, on the 11th of January, 
issued an order, as follows : 

Head-Quarters, Cairo, January 11, 1802. 
Brigadier-General Paixe, Bird's Point: 

I understand that four of our pickets were shot this morning. If this 
is so, and appearances indicate that the assassins were citizens, not 
regularly organized in the rebel army, the whole country should bo 
cleared out for six miles around, and word given that all citizens, mak- 
ing their appearance within those limits, are liable to be shot. 

To execute this, patrols should be sent out in all directions, and bring 
into camp, at Bird's Point, all citizens, together with their subsistence, 
and require them to remain, under penalty of death and destruction of 
their property, until properly relieved. 

Let no harm befall these people, if they quietly submit; but bring 
them in and place them in camp below the breastwork, and have them 
properly guarded. 

The intention is not to make political prisoners of these people, but to cut 
off a dangerous class of spies. 

This applies to all classes and conditions, age and sex. If, however, 
women and children prefer other protection than we can afford them, 
they may be allowed to retire beyond the limits indicated— not to return 
until authorized. 

By order of U. S. Grant, Brig.- Gen. Commanding. 

As General Grant states in the above order, it was ne- 
cessary to keep spies away from his vicinity, as he was then 
about to start on a perilous expedition. He had already 
divided his forces into three columns— under Generals 
Paine, McClernand, and C. F. Smith— General Grant com- 
manding the whole expedition in person. 



62 GENERAL GRANT 

Before starting on this adventure, General Grant issued 
the following order to his troops : 

Head-Quarters, District op Cairo, 
Cairo, January 13, 1862. 
[General Order No. 3.] 

During the absence of the expedition, now starting upon soil occu- 
pied almost solely by the rebel army, and when it is a fair inference that 
every stranger met is an enemy, the following orders will be observed: 

Troops, on marching, will be kept in the ranks ; company officers being 
held strictly accountable for all stragglers from their companies. No 
firing will be allowed in camp or on the march, not strictly required in 
the performance of duty. While in camp, no privilege will be granted 
to officers or soldiers to leave their regimental grounds, and all violations 
of this order must be promptly and summarily punished. 

Disgrace having been brought upon our brave fellows by the bad 
conduct of some of their members, showing on all occasions, when 
marching through territory occupied by sympathizers of the enemy, a 
total disregard of the rights of citizens, and being guilty of wanton de- 
struction of private property, the geueral commanding desires and intends 
to enforce a change in this respect. 

The interpreting of confiscation acts by troops themselves has a de- 
moralizing effect — weakens them in exact proportions to the demoraliza- 
tion, and makes open and armed enemies of many who, from opposite 
treatment, would become friends, or, at most, non-combatants. 

It is ordered, therefore, that the severest punishment be inflicted 
upon every soldier who is guilty of taking, or destroying, private property ; 
and any commissioned officer, guilty of like conduct, or of countenancing 
it, shall be deprived of his sword and expelled from the camp, not to be 
permitted to return. 

On the march, cavalry advance guards will be thrown out, also 
flank guards of cavalry or infantry, when practicable. A rear-guard 
of infantry will be required to see that no teams, baggage, or disabled 
soldiers are left behind. It will be the duty of company commanders to 
see that rolls of their company aro called immediately upon goiug into 
camp each day, and every member accounted for. 

By order, U. S. Grant, Brig.- Gen. Commanding. 

On the morning of Tuesday, January 14, 1862, General 
McClernand's column moved forward from Fort Jefferswn, 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 63 

and the columns under Generals Paine and Smith, at Padu- 
cah, commenced similar movements. The three columns 
combined made a force of nineteen regiments of infantry, 
four regiments of volunteer cavalry, two companies of reg- 
ular cavalry, and seven batteries of artillery. 

At the time this expedition commenced its march, the 
Mississippi River was nearly filled with floating ice, thus 
making the transportation of troops a serious difficulty. 
Demonstrations were made by General McClernand's 
column, as if with the intention of attacking Columbus in 
the rear, by way of Blandville, Ky., while the real object 
was to concentrate with the troops marching from Padu- 
cah, Ky. The feint proved successful, and a great alarm 
was manifested by the rebel forces in Columbus. 

As General McClernand's column advanced, it was at 
intervals joined by a regiment from the other columns, and, 
on the night of January 1 5th, his force encamped in line of 
battle ten miles to the rear of Columbus, threatening that 
post by two roads. 

Here General Grant, who had been with the column 
from Paducah, came up with this part of the expedition, 
and personally superintended the disposition of the troops. 

The first division was next morning inarched to Milburn, 
apparently en route for Mayfield ; but instead of following 
that path, the troops, after passing through Milburn, turned 
Aorthward, so as to communicate with the force from 
Paducah; and, on the 17th, were within eight miles of 
Lovelaceville. They then turned westward, and, on the 
nights of the 18th and 19th, encamped about a mile from 
Blandville. On January 20th, the column returned to Fort 
Jefferson. During the interval between the 14th and 20th 
of January, the infantry of this column marched over 
seventy-five miles, and the cavalry about one hundred and 
forty miles, over icy and miry roads, and during a most 



64 GENERAL GRAXT 

inclement season. This march was a very heavy one for 
troops who had never before been in the field. The 
reconnoissance developed the fact, that the rebel army was 
not in large force west of the Paducah and Mayfield rail- 
road, except, perhaps, in the rebel works at Columbus, and 
led to the discovery of valuable side-roads, not laid down 
in any map of that time. It also showed that Columbus 
was far from being as strong as was supposed, and that it 
could be attacked in the rear by several different roads, 
along which large forces of troops could be moved. 

As soon as General Grant had communicated with 
General McClernand, at his encampment, on the night of 
the 15th, and had received his report, he at once discovered 
the mere shell of rebel defence which held that part of the 
State of Kentucky, and allowing General McClernand's 
column to keep up the appearance of an advance, he with- 
drew the other two columns to Cairo. He had, in fact, 
accomplished and ascertained all that he had desired when 
he first moved. 

During the fall and winter of 1801, several gunboats had 
been ordered to be constructed on the Mississippi River, 
above Cairo, and by this time the majority of them were 
completed. In order to obtain sailors to man these gun- 
boats, General Grant issued the following important order : 

Head- Quarters, District of Cairo, 

Cairo, January 20, 1862. 
circular. 
Commanders of Regiments will report to these head-quarters, without 
uelay, the number of river and seafaring men of their respective com- 
mands, who are willing to be transferred from the military to the gun- 
boat service. Seeing the importance of fitting out our gunboats as 
speedily as possible, it is hoped there will be no delay or objections 
raised by company or regimental commanders in responding to this call. 
Men thus volunteering will be discharged at the end of one year, or at 
the end of the war, should it terminate sooner. 

By order, TJ. S. Grant, Brig.- Gen. Commanding. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. C3 

A few days afterwards, General McClernand's forces 
were withdrawn from Kentucky, and again rendezvoused 
at Cairo, the commander being placed in temporary charge 
of the District during the necessary absence of General 
Grant. 



60 GENERAL GRANT 



CHAPTER Vm. 

FORTS HENRY AND DONELSON. 

A few days soon developed the whole object of the 
movement made by General Grant's forces in the western 
part of the State of Kentucky. It must also not be for- 
gotten, that his troops still held the posts at Paducah and 
Smithland, at the mouth of the Tennessee and Cumberland 
Rivers. 

By keeping up a false show of an advance upon the rear 
of Columbus, which had several times been attacked in the 
front by armed vessels, the rebels were led to believe that 
post to be in actual danger, and consequently concentrated 
all their available forces in that vicinity. 

In the mean time, General Grant was preparing for an 
advance into the State of Kentucky, by an entirely dif- 
ferent route, and, to have his forces well in hand, he issued 
the following Older brigading the same : 

Head-Quarters, District of Cairo, 
Cairo, February 1, 1862. 
[General Order No 6.] 

For temporary government, the forces of this military distriet will be 
divided and commanded as follows, to wit : 

The First Brigade will consist of the Eighth. Eighteenth, Twenty- 
seventh, Twenty-ninth, Thirtieth, and Thirty -first Regiments of Illinois 
Volunteers, Schwartz's and Dresser's batteries, and Stewart's, Dollin's, 
O'Harnett's, and Carmichael's cavalry. Colonel R. J. Oglesby, senior 
colonel of the brigade, commanding. 

The Second Brigade will consist of the Eleventh, Twentieth, Forty- 
fifth, and Forty-eighth Illinois Infantry, Fourth Illinois Cavalry, Taylor's 
and McAllister's Artillery. (The latter with four siege-guns.) Colonel 
W. II. L. "Wallace commanding. 

The First and Second Brigades will constitute the First Division of the 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. G7 

District of Cairo, and will be commanded by Brigadier-General John 
A. McClernand. 

The Third Brigade will consist of the Eighth Wisconsin, Forty-ninth 
Illinois, Twenty-fifth Indiana, four companies of artillery, and such 
troops as are yet to arrive. Brigadier-General E. A. Paine commanding. 

The Fourth Brigade will be composed of the Tenth, Sixteenth, Twenty- 
second, and Thirty-third Illinois, and the Tenth Iowa Infantry ; Hou- 
taling's battery of Light Artillery, four companies of the Seventh and 
two companies of the First Illinois Cavalry. Colonel Morgan com- 
manding. 

General E. A. Paine is assigned to the command of Cairo and Mound 
City, and Colonel Morgan to the command at Bird's Point. 

By order of U. S. Grant, Brig.- Gen. Commanding. 

John A. Rawlins, A. A.-G. 

A subsequent order placed General E. A. Paine in com- 
mand at Cairo. 

This order having been publicly announced, if it even 
fell into the hands of the rebels — and there was but little 
doubt that such would be the case — would give them the 
idea that the above were all the troops that comprised 
the forces under General Grant ; whereas the divisions then 
organizing under Generals C. F. Smith and Lewis Wallace, 
at the posts of Paducah and Smithland, are not mentioned 
at all. 

General Grant, having secured his base, left Cairo on the 
night of February 2d, and, with Generals McClernand and 
Smith's Divisions, soon after began moving from Paducah 
upon Fort Henry, a defensive Avork erected near the border- 
line of the States of Kentucky and Tennessee, on the east 
side of the Tennessee River, so as to command the stream 
at that point. The gunboats had also advanced up that 
river from the Ohio, and at about half-past eleven o'clock, 
on the morning of February 6, 1862, opened fire upon the 
works. After about two hours and a quarter's engagement, 
the rebels, finding their retreat cut off by the Union troops 
in the rear, lowered their flag, and the work and garrison 



68 GENERAL GRANT 

surrendered before the military forces were called into 
action. General Grant, however, arrived at the fort with- 
in an hour after it had capitulated, when Commodore Foote 
gave up the post and his prisoners into the hands of the 
military.* 

General Grant, as a conqueror, possessed the virtue and 
true nobleness of character which plainly set forth the 
imprint of the hero. The captured General Tighlman thus 
speaks of him in his report to the rebel authorities : 

Fort Henry, February 9, 1862. 
Colonel W. W. Mackall, A. A.- General, C. S. A., Bowling Green : 

Sir : — Through the courtesy of Brigadier-General U. S. Grant, com- 
manding Federal forces, I am permitted to communicate with you in 
relation to the result of the action between the fort under my command 
at this place, and the Federal gunboats, on yesterday. 

At eleven o'clock and forty minutes, on yesterday morning, the enemy 
engaged the fort with seven gunboats, mounting fifty-four guns. I prompt- 
ly returned their fire, with the eleven guns from Fort Henry bearing on 
the river. The action was maintained with great bravery by the force 
under my command until ten minutes before two p. si., at which time 
I had but four guns fit for service. At five minutes before two, finding 
it impossible to maintain the fort, and wishing to spare the lives of the 
gallant men under my command, and on consultation with my officers, 
I surrendered the fort. Our casualties are small. The effect of our 
shot was severely felt by the enemy, whose superior and overwhelming 
force alone gave them the advantage. 

The surrender of Fort Henry involves that of Captain Taylor, Lieu- 
tenant "Watts, Lieutenant "Weller, and one other officer of artillery ; Cap- 
tains Hayden and Miller, of the engineers ; Captains H. L. Jones and 
McLaughlin, Quartermaster's Department; A. A.-General McConnico 
and myself, with some fifty privates and twenty sick, together with all 
the munitions of war in and about the fort. 

I communicate this result with deep regret, but feel that I performed 
ray whole duty in the defence of my post. 

* It will be seen by reference to General Grant's report and order 
for battle, that the disposition of the troops was perfectly satisfac- 
tory, and must have secured a victory, even if the gunboats had not accom- 
plished that object. 



AXD HIS CAMPAIGN'S. 69 

I take occasion to bear testimony to the gallantry of the officers and 
men under my command. They maintained their position with consum- 
mate bravery, as long as there was any hope of success. I aUo take great 
pleasure in acknowledging the courtesies and consideration shown by Briga- 
dier-General U. S. Grant and Commodore Foote, and the' officers under 
their coramand. 

I have the honor to remain, very respectfully, 

Tour obedient servant, 
Lloyd Tighlman, Brig.- Gen. C. S. A. 

The reduction of Fort Henry was but a portion of the 
grand work that was to be accomplished ; therefoi'e, Gene- 
ral Grant had no time to waste in sitting and contempla- 
ting the result of his movements, even if he had so wished. 
Heat once ordered all available, troops in his district to 
be sent to his command, and on the morning of the 11th of 
February, re-enforcements left Cairo, under orders to join 
him on the strip of Kentucky land which lies between the 
Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers. 

Having properly disposed of these troops, in brigades 
and divisions, he placed the latter under the command of 
the following generals : 

First Division, Acting Major-General J. A. McClernand. 
Second Division, Acting Major-General C. F. Smith. 
Third Division, Acting Major-General Lewis Wallace. 

The last-mentioned division assembled at Smithland, and 
moved from that place towards the objective point. 

On the evening of February 11th, General Grant issued 
the following important order : 

Head-Quarters, District op Cairo, 
Fort Henry, Tenn., Feb. 11, 186?. 
[General Field Orders, No. 12.] 

The troops designated in General Field Orders No. 9 will move to- 
morrow, as speedily as possible, in the following order: 

One brigade of the First Division will move by the Telegraph road di- 
rectly upon Fort Donelson, halting for further orders at a distance of two 



70 GEXEEAL GEATsT 

miles from the fort. The other brigades of the First Division will move 
by the Dover Ridge road, and halt at the same distance from the fort, 
and throw out troops so as to form a continuous line between the two 
wings. 

The two brigades of the Second Division, now at Fort Henry, will 
follow as rapidly as practicable, by the Dover road, and will be followed 
by the troops from Fort Heiman, as fast as they can be ferried across 
the river. 

One brigade of the Second Division should be thrown into Dover to 
cut off oil retreat by the river, if found practicable to do so. 

The force of the enemy being so variously reported, it is impossible to 
give exact details of attack ; but the necessary orders will be given on 
the field. 

By order of Brig.-Gen. U. S. Grant, Commanding. 

John A. Rawlins A. A.-G. 

In accordance with the above order, the troops moved 
from Fort Henry on the morning of February 12, and 
being Avell started, were soon followed by General Grant 
and staff. The troops moved rapidly, and by noon the ad- 
vance of the First Division came upon the rebel outposts 
and drove in the pickets. 

General Grant soon got his troops into line of battle, and, 
to prevent the enemy from holding the high ground, 
ordered the hills to be occupied by our forces. The 
movement was made in line of battle order, and gallantly 
executed — the men pushing forward with even front 
through brush, over brooks and fences, until the desired 
point had been reached — speaking volumes for their drill 
and discipline. 

Reconnoitring forces were sent out and slight skirmish- 
ing ensued ; but after the woods had been thoroughly 
scoured, it was soon ascertained that all the enemy's main 
forces were in General Grant's front. 

The proper dispositions were made of the troops ; the 
First Division forming the right of the extended line, the 
extreme right resting on Dover, while the Second Division 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 71 

occupied the left, its extreme extending to a creek on the 
north of the fort. In this order they passed the night, 
without any disturbance worthy of mention. 

On the morning of the 13th of February, the gunboat 
Carondelet, under the direction of General Grant, approach- 
ed the fort by the Cumberland River, and an engagement, 
which lasted two hours, ensued, when the boat was with- 
drawn. The object of this attack was to give time for the 
other gunboats and the troops belonging to the Third 
Division to arrive by way of the river. 

The gunboats and troops having joined General Grant, 
preparations w T ere made to attack the rebel works by a 
concerted action of both the military and naval forces. 

At two o'clock on February 14th, the gunboats moved up 
the river and received the fire of the batteries. The water 
battery was silenced and the gunners driven from their 
position ; but the plunging shots from the upper batteries 
having crippled the flag-ship, by shattering her wheel and 
pilot-house, and otherwise injuring the other vessels, Com- 
modore Foote ordered a withdrawal from the action. And 
thus ended the contest on the 14th. 

General Grant now determined to thoroughly invest the 
fort, and either reduce it by siege, or wait until the gun- 
boats could be repaired. A change, for that purpose, was 
therefore made in the disposition of the troops. A sortie 
of the enemy the next morning, however, caused General 
Grant somewhat to alter his plans of operation. 

On the morning of the 15th, a heavy body of rebel 
troops attacked the extreme right of General Grant's line. 
The suddenness of the attack, as well as the overpowering 
numbers of the enemy on that particular portion of the 
line, caused the Union troops to give way, after a very 
Stubborn resistance, and the rebels captured two batteries 
of artillery. Re-enforcements were soon sent up by the 



72 GENERAL GRANT 

general in command, and after a desperate struggle, in 
which ':oth armies displayed great bravery and endurance, 
all the captured guns but three were retaken. 

The rebels were then also re-enforced, and made a renewed 
and violent attack upon the wearied troops, who were again 
compelled to give way. On rushed the enemy, with fright- 
ful yells, flanking the Union forces, with every prospect of 
final success. Other Union regiments were then brought 
into action ; but, by mistake, they took their friends for 
the enemy, and caused some serious loss in one of the 
wearied regiments, thus increasing the confusion. An- 
other Union brigade was brought into action, with similar 
results ; but the rebels had so concentrated their forces that 
the new arrivals also had to fall back. 

On another part of the line, in obedience to General 
Grant's orders, the Union troops had driven back the 
enemy with great gallantry ; but, in spite of this success, 
the day appeared to be lost ; and, although to ordinary ob- 
servers the prospect was dreary, General Grant seemed to 
perceive a most encouraging future. 

The reports of the various commanders were handed in 
to him at his head-quarters, and on comparing them he said 
to one of his staff: " Good ! we have them now exactly 
where we want them." General Grant then ordered General 
C. F. Smith to make a strong assault on the left of the line, 
and to carry the position, no matter at what sacrifice. He 
also directed certain movements on the right, with the in- 
tention of not only recovering the lost ground, but also to 
gain a solid position in front of the enemy's works. 

General Smith carried out his orders with praiseworthy 
gallantry, and the position was gained, after a verydespe 
rate struggle. The column of attack moved forward with- 
out firing a gun, charged desperately upon the works, and 
drove the rebels out of them at the point of the bayonet. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 73 

It was a brave assault, and reflects honor on every man 
engaged in it. 

The position was occupied, and the flag of the United 
States waved over the works ; but the loss with which it 
was purchased was enormous. The success, however, 
which attended the assault, inspired the troops with both 
hope and courage, and all along the lines rang the wildest 
shouts of enthusiasm. The heights were all carried by 
storm ; and when the day ended, notwithstanding the disas- 
ters that had attended the contest in the morning, the Union 
army held a better position than they had ever had before. 

The soldiers again slept on their arms, with the intention 
of renewing the attack at daybreak ; but the morning sun 
found a flag of truce waving over the enemy's works. The 
rebels wished to treat for a surrender. 

The following correspondence then passed between the 
commanding generals of the contending«armies : 

general buckner to general grant. 

Head-Quarters, Fort Donelson, 
February 16, 1862. 
Sir : — In consideration of all the circumstances governing the present 
situation of affairs at this station, I propose to the commanding officer 
of the Federal forces the appointment of commissioners to agree upon 
terms of capitulation of the forces and fort under my command, and in 
that view suggest an armistice until twelve o'clock to-day. 
I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

S. B. Buckner, Brig. -Gen. G. S. A. 
To Brigadier-General Grant, commanding the United States forces 
near Fort Donelson 

To the bearer of this dispatch General Buckner gave 
the following orders : 

Head-Quarters, Fort Donelson, 
February 16, 1862. 
Major Cashy will take or send by an officer, to the nearest picket oi 
the enemy, the accompanying communication to General Grant, and re- 
4 



74 



GENERAL GRANT 



quest information of the point where future communication may reach 
him ; also inform him that my head-quarters will be, for the present, in 
Dover. 

S. B. Buckner, Brigadier- General. 
Ilave the white flag hoisted on Fort Donelson, not on the battery. 

S. B. Buckner, Brigadier- General. 

The communication reached General Grant in due course 
of time ; but it did not take him long to make up his mind 
as to his reply. In a few minutes, the following document 
was placed in the hands of the bearer of General Buckner's 
message : 

Head-Quarters, Army in the field, 
Camp near Donelson, Feb. 16, 1862. 
To General S. B. Buckner, Confederate Army : 

Yours of this date, proposing an armistice and appointment of com- 
missioners to settle terms of capitulation, is just received. No terms 
other than an unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted. 1 
propose to move immediately upon your works. 

I am, sir, very respectfully your obedient servant, 

U. S. Grant, Brig.- Gen. U. S. A., Commanding. 

The reply was far from a pleasing one to the rebel com- 
mander ; but, on looking around his position, he found he 
could not stand another assault, and his followers were 
anxious for a cessation of the strife. He therefore sent 
the following acceptation of General Grant's terms of 
capitulation : 

Head-Quarters, Dover, Tennessee, 
February 16, 1862. 
To Brigadier-General U. S. Grant, U. S. A. : 

Sir: — The distribution of the forces uider my command, incident to 
an unexpected change of commanders, and the overwhelming force under 
your command, compel me, notwithstanding the brilliant success of the 
Confederate arms yesterday, to accept the ungenerous and unchivalrous 
terms which you propose. 

I am, sir, your very obedient servant, 

S. B. Buckner, Brig.- Gen. C. S. A. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 75 

And thus fell into the hands of General Grant and his 
army, the whole of the forces that garrisoned the works 
of Forts Henry and Donelson, with the exception of one 
small brigade of rebel troops, which escaped during the 
night with Generals Floyd and Pillow. The troops under 
the former general were stationed in the extreme rear of 
the works ; and when it was ascertained that the day was 
certainly lost, the two generals, with this brigade, left 
General Buckner to please himself, as to whether he would 
run, fight, or surrender. 

The rebel loss in the surrender of Fort Henry, was the 
commander, General Tighlman, his staff, and about sixty 
men, the rest of the garrison having moved to support the 
troops at Fort Donelson. At Fort Donelson the rebels 
lost General Buckner, over thirteen thousand prisoners, 
three thousand horses, forty-eight field-pieces, seventeen 
heavy guns, twenty thousand stand of arms, and a large 
quantity of commissary stores. The rebels killed in the last 
engagement were 231, and wounded, 1,007, some of whom 
were prisoners. The Union loss was 446 killed, 1,735 
wounded, and 150 prisoners. The Union troops having to 
fight in an open field, against the works of the rebels, ac- 
counts for the disparity of numbers in killed and wounded. 

Two regiments of rebel Tennesseeans, who had been or- 
dered to re-enforce the garrison at Fort Donelson, marched 
into that work on the day after the capitulation, being un- 
aware of its capture. They went along with their colors 
flying and their bands playing, and were allowed to enter 
the camp without any warning as to the character nnd 
nationality of those who held it in possession. The whole 
force (1,475 men and officers) were at once captured. 

The result of this campaign was far more valuable than 



76 GENERAL GRANT 

would at the first sight appear. The rebel line, at this par- 
ticular part of the country, may be said to have extended 
from Columbus to Bowling Green, Ky., a distance of one 
hundred and twenty miles, with the extreme points of each 
wing resting on those two places, which had been strongly 
fortified. The reduction of Forts Henry and Donelson, 
and the opening of the rivers at this point broke the cen- 
tre or backbone of this whole line, and, as a natural se- 
quence, the wings had to fall. In a few days after, both 
Bowling Green and Columbus were in the possession of 
the Union troops, the rebels having evacuated those de- 
fences. 

When the victory was telegraphed to Washington,* 
the following words were added to the dispatch : 

" The United States flag now waves over Tennessee. It 
shall never be removed." 

* The following was the report of Gen. Cullum : 

Cairo, February IT, 1862. 
To Major-General McClellan : 

The Union flag floats over Fort Donelson. The Carondelet, Capt. Walke, 
brings the glorious intelligence. 

The fort surrendered at nine o'clock yesterday (Sunday) morning. 
Gen. Buckner and about fifteen thousand prisoners, and a large amount 
of materiel of war, are the trophies of the victory. Loss heavy on both 
sides. 

Floyd, the thief, stole away during the night previous, with five thou- 
sand men, and is denounced by the rebels as a traitor. I am happy to 
inform you, that Flag-Officer Foote, though suffering with his foot, with 
the noble characteristic of our navy, notwithstanding his disability, will 
take up immediately two gun-boats, and with the eight mortar-boats, 
which he will overtake, will make an immediate attack on Clarksville, if 
the state of the weather will permit. "We are now firing a national sa- 
lute from Fort Cairo, General Grant's late post, in honor of the glorious 
achievement. 

[Signed] Geo. "W. Cullum, 

Brig.- Gen. Vols, and U. S, A. and Chief of Staff and Engineers. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 



11 



For this victorious campaign General Grant was at once 
nominated for, and received the confirmation of the appoint- 
ment of major-general of volunteers, to date from the day 
of the surrender of Fort Donelson, February 16, 1862. 

The following is a very amusing incident connected with 
General Grant's victory on the rivers Tennessee and Cum- 
berland : 

Several rumors had appeared in the newspaper press, 
and had otherwise been publicly proclaimed, that General 
Grant was in the habit of getting intoxicated. This idea 
may have arisen from his slovenly mode of attiring himself, 
or from some other equally unreliable cause. The friends 
of the Illinois troops under General Grant's command, 
being anxious for their safety, selected a delegation to visit 
General Halleck, and have Grant removed. 

" You see, General," said the spokesman, " we have a 
number of Illinois volunteers under General Grant, and it 
is not safe that their lives should be intrusted to the care 
of a man who so constantly indulges in intoxicating liquors. 
Who knows what blunders he may commit ?" 

" Well, gentlemen," said General Halleck, " I am satisfied 
with General Grant, and I have no doubt you also soon 
will be." 

While the deputation were staying at the hotel, the news 
arrived of the capture of Fort Donelson and thirteen thou- 
sand prisoners. General Halleck posted the intelligence 
himself on the hotel bulletin, and as he did so he remarked, 
loud enough for all to hear : 

" If General Grant is such a drunkard as he is reported 
to be, and can win such victories as these, I think it is my 
duty to issue an order that any man found sober in St. 
Louis to-night shall be punished with fine and imprison- 
ment." 

The people of St. Louis took the hint, and nearly all, that 



18 GENERAL GRANT 

night, entered into the spirit of jollification. The tempe- 
rance delegation from Illinois were not behind their neigh- 
bors in celebrating the occasion, and with whiskey too.* 

* It is scarcely necessary to contradict a charge of drunkenness 
made against so successful a general as Grant ; but it may not be out of 
place to quote the following extract from a private letter from one of his 
staff officers to a friend in New York: 

"I have seen it stated in the public prints that General Grant is a 
drunkard. I have seen him in every phase of his military life, and I can 
assert that the accusation is false. I have been in the same tent with 
him at all hours of the day and night, and I never knew him to be under 
the influence of liquor, or any thing even approaching to it. I do not 
know what bis former life may have been, but I do know that now ho 
is a temperate man." 



I 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 79 



CHAPTER IX. 

DISTRICT OF WEST TENNESSEE. 

Tiie operations of the early part of February, 1862, had 
brought General Grant and his army into the State of Ten- 
nessee, and to enable him to act with promptitude and suc- 
cess, it became necessary to increase his line of operations. 
Therefore, on the 14th clay of February, General Halleck 
issued an order creating the new district of West Tennessee, 
to embrace all the country between the Tennessee and 
Mississippi Rivers, to the Mississippi State line, and Cairo, 
making the head-quarters temporarily at Fort Donelson, or 
wherever the general might be. 

The first order issued by General Grant, after the as- 
sumption of the command of that district, was a con- 
gratulatory order to his troops on their late victory. The 
order was worded as follows : 

Head-Quarters, District op West Tennessee, 
Fort Donelson, February 17, 1S62. 
[General Order No. 2.] 

The general commanding takes great pleasure in congratulating the 
troops of this command for the triumph over rebellion, gained by their 
valor, on the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth instant. 

For four successive nights, without shelter, during the most inclement 
■weather known in this latitude, they faced an enemy in large force, in a 
position chosen by himself. Though strongly fortified by nature, all the 
additional safeguards suggested by science were added. Without a 
murmur this was borne, prepared at all times to receive an attack, and, 
with continuous skirmishing by day, resulting ultimately in forcing tho 
enemy to surrender without conditions. 



80 GEXERAL GRA3TT 

The victory achieved is not only great in the effect it will have in 
breaking down rebellion, but has secured the greatest number of prison- 
ers of war ever taken in any battle on this continent. 

Port Donelson will hereafter be marked in capitals on the map of our 
United Country, and the men who fought the battle will live in the 
memory of a grateful people. 

By order, 

U. S. Grant, Brig.- Gen. Commanding. 

Although one of the principal objects of the campaign — 
the reopening of the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers — 
had been accomplished, General Grant did not allow his 
forces to remain long idle. After Fort Donelson had been 
reduced, the gunboats, under Commodore Foote, were 
pushed up the Cumberland River, while, at the same time, 
a co-operating land force, consisting of a division of Gen- 
eral Grant's army, marched along the western bank. On 
the 20th of February, the town of Clarksville was taken, 
without a fight ; and at this depot were found supplies 
enough for subsisting General Grant's army for twenty 
days. The place was at once garrisoned and held, while 
the gunboats moved still further up the river, to open the 
way for the army of the Ohio to occupy Nashville. 

The Union army had by this time advanced some dis- 
tance into the territory of the rebels ; and it became neces- 
sary, in order to protect the morale as well as the persons 
of those composing that army, that a most rigid discipline 
should be exacted, and a searching law imposed upon all, 
both friend and foe. General Grant, therefore, appended 
to his army orders of February 22d, the following: 

Head-Quarters, District op "West Tennessee, 
Fort Donelson, Tenn., Feb. 22, 1862. 
[General Orders, M. 1.~\ [Extract.'] 

Tennessee, by her rebellion, having ignored all laws of the United 
States, no courts will be allowed to act under State authority ; but all 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 81 

cases coming -within the. reach of the military arm, -will be adjudicated 
by the authorities the government has established within the State. 

Martial law is, therefore, declared to extend over West Tennessee. 
"Whenever a sufficient number of citizens return to their allegiance to 
maintain law and order over the territory, the military restriction here 
indicated will be removed. 

By order of Major-General TJ. S. Grant. 

J. A. Rawlins, A. A. G. 

In addition to the above, General Grant also caused the 
following order from the head of the department, to be 
read at dress parade : 

Head-Quarters, District op West Tennessee, 
February, 1862. 
The following order from the commander of the department is pub- 
lished for the information of this command : 

Head-Quarters, Department of Missouri, 
St. Louis, February 23. 

The major-general commanding this department desires to impress 
upon all officers the importance of preserving good order and discipline 
among these troops and the armies of the West, during their advance 
into Tennessee and the Southern States. 

Let us show to our fellow-citizens of these States, that we come merely 
to crush out this rebellion, and to restore to them peace and the benefits 
of the Constitution and the Union, of which they have been deprived 
by selfish and unprincipled leaders. They have been told that we come 
to oppress and plunder. By our acts we will undeceive them. We will 
prove to them that we come to restore, not violate, the Constitution and 
the laws. In restoring to them the glorious flag of the Union, we will 
assure them that they shall enjoy, under its folds, the same protection 
of life and property as in former days. 

Soldiers ! Let no excesses on your part tarnish the glory of our arms ! The 
orders heretofore issued from this department in regard to pillaging, 
marauding, and the destruction of private property, and the stealing and 
concealment oi' slaves, must be strictly enforced. It does not belong to 
the military to decide upon the relation of master and slave. Such 
questions must be settled by the civil courts. No fugitive slave will, 
therefore, be admitted within our lines or camps, except when especially 
ordered by the general commanding. Women and children, merchants, 
4* 



82 GENERAL GRANT 

farmers, and all persons not in arms, are to he regarded as non-combatants, 
and are not to be molested, either in their persons or property. If, however, 
they assist and aid the enemy, they become belligerents, and will be 
treated as such. As they violate the laws of war, they will be made to 
suffer the penalties of such violation. 

Military stores and public property of the enemy must be surrendered; 
and any attempt to conceal such property by fraudulent transfer or other- 
wise will be punished. But no private property will be touched, unless 
by order of the general commanding. 

Whenever it becomes necessary, forced contributions for supplies and 
subsistence for our troops will be made. Such levies will be made as 
light as possible, and be so distributed as to produce no distress 
among the people. All property so taken must be receipted fully and 
accepted for as heretofore directed. 

These orders will be read at the head of every regiment, and all officera 
are commanded strictly to enforce them. 

By command of Major-General Halleck. 

"W. H. McLean, Adjutant- General. 

By order of Major-General U. S. Grant. 

J. A. Rawlins, A. A. G. 

It will thus be seen, that, although strict martial law was 
to be exacted, aud every effort made to crush the rebellion, 
still non-combatants were to be respected in their persons 
and property. 

After Nashville had been occupied, the gunboats were 
taken down the Cumberlaud River for farther operations ; 
and, among others, a reconnoissance was made up the Ten- 
nessee River, as far as the northern State lines of Missis- 
sippi and Alabama. It was ascertained by the officers of 
the fleet, that along the banks of this river the Union feel 
ing was strongly manifested, and that the gunboats were 
welcomed with enthusiasm. It was also discovered that 
no large rebel force was concentrated near the river itself, 
and that a base of operations might be established near the 
borders of the southern Tennessee State line. In conse- 
quence of this discovery, General Grant removed his head- 
quarters to Fort Henry, on the Tennessee River, whero 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 83 

he began fitting out his expedition for operations at a dis- 
tance of about one hundred miles further up that stream. 

About this time another very strong effort was made, by- 
General Grant's detractors, to get him removed, and it was 
even reported that he had been deprived of his command. 
Subsequent events explained the origin of the rumor, in 
the fact that General C. F. Smith had been placed in com- 
mand of the troops in the field, while General Grant was 
still kept at Fort Henry, organizing and fitting out the forces 
with which he was about to operate. The advance troops 
were sent by transports up the Tennessee River, to Savan- 
nah, Tennessee, and while en route, and even after disem- 
barking, General Smith held the command until the arrival 
of General Grant at that place.* 

On the 11th of March, 1862, General Grant, while at 
Fort Henry, was presented with a handsome sword, by the 
regimental commanding officers. The handle of the sword 
was made of ivory, mounted with gold, and the blade was 
of the finest tempered steel. Two scabbards were attach- 
ed to the sword, the service one being of fine gilt, while 
the parade scabbard was of rich gilt, mounted at the band. 
The sword was enclosed in a fine rosewood case, and ac 

* The Florence (Ala.) Gazette, of March 12, 1862, had the following 
ver7 significant article : 

""We learned yesterday that the Unionists had landed a very largo 
force at Savannah, Tenn. "We suppose they are making preparations 
to get possession of the Memphis and Charleston Railroad. They must 
never be allowed to get this great thoroughfare in their possession, for 
then we would indeed be crippled. The labor and untiring industry of too 
many faithful and energetic men have been expended on this road to 
bring it up to its present state of usefulness, to let it fall into the hands 
of the enemy to bo used against us. It must be protected. We, as a peo- 
ple, are able to protect and save it. If unavoidable, let them have our 
river; but we hope it is the united sentiment of our people, thai wc will 
have our railroad." 



84 GENERAL GRANT 

companied by a suitable sash and belt. The inscription on 
the sword was very simple, being merely : 

" Presented to General U. S. Grant, by G. W. Graham, C. B. Lagow, 
C. C. Marsh, and John Cook, 1862." 

While the Tennessee operations were thus being carried 
out, General Grant was not unmindful of the fact that he 
had the enemy's forces scattered about at posts nearer home. 
He, therefore, sent expeditions and reconnoitring parties 
in all directions ; and on the 12th of March, 1862, one por- 
tion of his forces, consisting of artillery and cavalry, at- 
tacked the enemy's works which were located at a point 
about a mile and a half west of Paris, and commanding the 
various roads leading to that place. The rebels were driven 
out, with a loss of about one hundred killed, wounded, and 
prisoners, and the Union forces occupied the works. 

As the tendency of the movements of the different ar- 
mies of the West was towards the mouth of the Mississippi 
River and the Gulf, it became necessary that one chief 
should have the direction of the whole, so as to cause the 
combinations to take place at the proper time. Such being 
the case, a new department was created, to be known as 
the " Department of the Mississippi," which embraced all 
the country west of a line drawn noi'th and south through 
Knoxville, as far as Kansas and the Indian Territory, and 
running north to the lakes. Of this large department 
General Grant commanded a very important district. 

The enemy also began concentrating a large force in the 
Southwest, under General Albert Sydney Johnston, and 
of this force, General P. G. T. Beauregard commanded the 
troops which constituted the rebel army of the valley of 
the Mississippi. The head-quarters of this army were loca- 
ted at Corinth, Mississippi, with the intention of holding 
the line of the Memphis and Charleston Railroad ; of pre- 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 85 

venting any advance of the Union forces below the line of 
the Tennessee River ; and, also, for the purpose of having 
a force ready to move into Kentucky and across the Ohio 
River, if an opportunity should occur for so doing. The 
Mississippi River was also blockaded, by fortified positions, 
at Island No. 10, and other points above Memphis, and at 
Vicksburg, New Orleans, etc., below that city. It was, 
therefore, considered certain by the rebels, that Corinth 
could not be attacked by the way of the Mississippi, and 
they determined to mass their forces to resist the advance 
of Grant's army from the Tennessee River. 

As the remainder of the troops under General Grant 
passed up the river, they encamped at Savannah and Pitts- 
burg Landing, which positions were at a distance of about 
twenty miles from the rebel stronghold at Corinth. 

On the 15th of March, 1862, the troops belonging to the 
Third Division of Grant's army advanced from Savannah, 
Tennessee, into McNairy County, and struck the line of the 
Jackson (Tenn.) and Corinth Railroad, at Purdy, where 
they burned the railroad bridge, and tore up the track for 
a long distance. This movement prevented a train, heavily 
laden with rebel troops, from passing over that line from 
Jackson, the cars arriving shortly after the bridge was de- 
stroyed. As the rebels held the road between Jackson and 
Grand Junction, thence to Corinth, the concentration of the 
rebel army was not prevented, but only delayed, by the 
destruction of this part of the line. 



86 GENERAL GRANT 



CHAPTER X. 

PITTSBURG LANDING, OR SHILOH. 

The rebel forces which had concentrated at Corinth, 
about the 1st of April, 1862, were supposed to number, at 
least, forty-five thousand men, under General A. S. Johns- 
ton, commanding department; General P. G.T.Beauregard, 
commanding army at Corinth ; and Generals Bragg, Har- 
dee, Breckinridge, and Polk, in command of divisions. It 
was also expected, by General Johnston, that the forces 
under Generals Van Dorn and Price would have reached 
them within a few days, which re-enforcement would have 
swollen his numbers to at least seventy thousand. 

General Grant's forces had, by this time, been nearly all 
brought together at Pittsburg Landing, Savannah, and 
other places within reach, — the cavalry pickets occupying 
the outposts of the army. 

On the evening of April 2, 1862, the Union videttes of 
the Third Division, who had been stationed at Crump's 
Landing, were driven in, and a sharp skirmish ensued, dur- 
ing which several were wounded and a few taken prisoners. 

The next day, April 3d, the rebel commanding general 
issued the following order : 

Soldiers of the Army of the Mississippi: 

I have put you in motion to offer battle to the invaders of your 
country, with the resolution and discipline and valor becoming men, 
fighting, as you are, for. all worth living or dying for. You can but 
march to a decisive victory over agrarian mercenaries, sent to subjugate 
and despoil you of your liberties, property, and honor. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 87 

Remember the precious stake involved ; remember the dependence of 
your mothers, your wives, your sisters, and your children, on the result. 
Remember the fair, broad, abounding lands, the happy homes, that will be 
desolated by your defeat. The eyes and hopes of eight million people rest 
upon you. You are expected to show yourselves worthy of your valor 
and courage, worthy of the women of the South, whose noble devotion 
in this war, has never been exceeded in anytime. With such incentives 
to brave deeds, and with trust that God is with us, your general will 
lead you confidently to the combat, assured of success. 

By order of General A. S. Johnstox, Commanding. 

The rebel army of the Mississippi was then divided into 
three army corps, and was commanded as follows : 

Commanding- General, General Albert Sydney Johnston. 
Second in Command, General P. G. T. Beauregard. 
First Army Corps, Lieutenant-General L. Polk. 
Second Army Corps, Lieutenant-General Braxton Bragg. 
Third Army Corps, Lieutenant-General W. J. Hardee. 
Reserves, Major-General G. B. Crittenden. 

Against this force, Major-General Grant had but a small 
army in comparison, consisting of five divisions. The or- 
ganization of this army was as follows : 

Commanding-General, Major-General IT. S. Grant. 
First Division, Major-General J. A. McClernand. 
Second Division, Brigadier-General W. H. L. "Wallace. 
Third Division, Major-General Lewis Wallace. 
Fourth Division, Brigadier-General S. A. Hurlburt. 
Fifth Division, Brigadier-General W. T. Sherman. 

On the evening of April 4th, the rebels made a recon- 
noissance with two regiments, and found the Union troop£ 
ready to receive them. A very slight skirmish ensued, 
after which the rebels retired, as they did not wish to bring 
on a general engagement, for the simple reason that the 
expected forces under. Van Dorn and Price, had not arrived. 

At the same time that the " Battle of Shiloh" or Pitts- 
burg Landing, was opened by the main body of the rebels, 



8S GENERAL GRANT 

a force of rebel cavalry made a dash upon the position held 
by the Third Division of Grant's army, at Adamsville, a vil- 
lage situated at about half way between Savannah and 
Purely- This dash was made to prevent General Wallace 
from rendering any assistance to General Grant's forces at 
Pittsburg Landing. 

Having thus glanced at the position of affairs previous to 
the opening of the battle of Shiloh, it will plainly be seen that 
the rebels held a great advantage over the Unionists, even 
without the assistance of Van Dorn and Price. Johnston and 
Beauregard had resolved to attack Grant before Buell 
should join him, for those rebel generals were perfectly 
aware that Buell was advancing from Nashville for that 
purpose. The rebel commanders had set apart April 5th, 
for the clay of attack ; but in consequence of the non-arri- 
val of Price and Van Dorn's forces, they had resolved to 
wait one day longer. This gave General Buell further time 
to reach Grant ; and, doubtless, saved the country from an 
irretrievable disaster, which must have been the result, had 
the re-enforcements not arrived, in spite of all General 
Grant could have done. A decisive defeat here would 
have been a crushing blow to the success of the Union, and 
would have been a sad reward to General Grant for the 
bravery manifested by him on the field. 

At an early hour on Sunday morning, April 6, 1862, 
the Union pickets were driven in, and the rebel sharpshoot- 
ers began picking off the officers. At about eight o'clock 
in the morning, heavy masses of rebel infantry were to be 
seen advancing on the front, and the Union troops were 
ready to receive them. There was no surprise; but a 
steady advance of men in overwhelming numbers, and with 
an apparent determination to attack with thaareatest des- 
peration. The Union troops fought well, and tell back foot 
by foot, until they reached the river. They were closely fol- 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 89 

lowed in their retreat by the rebel forces, who seemed to 
gather more energy and desperation when they found the 
Union troops were falling back. 

The following account from an eye-witness, being the 
first published of this terrific battle, will be found of great 
interest, inasmuch as it was the most complete, as well as the 
first, epitome of the contest, that found its way into print : 

THE FIRST DAY'S STRUGGLE. 

Pittsburg, via Fort Henry, 
April 9th, 3.20 A. Jt. 

One of the greatest and bloodiest battles of modern days has just 
closed, resulting in the complete rout of the enemy, who attacked us at 
daybreak Sunday morning. 

The battle lasted, without intermission, during the entire day, and was 
again renewed on Monday morning, and continued undecided until four 
o'clock in the afternoon, when the enemy commenced their retreat, and 
are still flying towards Corinth, pursued by a large force of our cavalry. 

The slaughter on both sides is immense. We have lost in killed, 
wounded, and missing, from eighteen to twenty thousand ; that of the 
enemy is estimated, at from thirty-five to forty thousand. 

It is impoFsible, in the present confused state of affairs, to ascertain 
any of the details ; I, therefore, give you the best account possible from 
observation, having passed through the storm of action during the two 
days that it raged. 

The fight was brought on by a body of three hundred of the Twenty- 
fifth Missouri Regiment, of General Prentiss's Division, attacking the 
advance guard of the rebels, which were supposed to be the pickets of the 
enemy in front of our camps. t 

The rebels immediately advanced on General Prentiss's Division on tho 
left wing, pouring volley after volley of musketry, and riddling our 
camps with grape, canister, and shell. Our forces soon formed into 
line and returned their fire vigorously. By the time we were prepared 
to receive them, the rebels had turned their heaviest fire on the left cen- 
tre, Sherman's Division, and drove our men back from their camps; then, 
bringing up a fresh force, opened fire on our left wing, under General 
McClernand. This fire was returned with terrible effect and determined 



90 GENEEAL GEAIST 

spirit by both infantry and artillery, along the whole line, for a distance 
of over four miles. 

General Hurlburt's division was thrown forward to support the 
centre, when a desperate conflict ensued. The rebels were driven 
back with terrible slaughter, but soon rallied and drove back our meu 
in turn. From about nine o'clock, the time your correspondent arrived 
on the field, until night closed on the bloody scene, there was no determination 
of the result of the struggle. The rebels exhibited remarkably good gen- 
eralship. At times engaging the left, with apparently their whole 
strength, they would suddenly open a terrible and destructive fire on the 
right or centre. Even our heaviest and most destructive fire upon the 
enemy did not appear to discourage their solid columns. The fire of 
Major Taylor's Chicago Artillery raked them down in scores, but the 
smoke would no sooner be dispersed than the breach would again be 
filled. 

The most desperate fighting took place late in the afternoon. The 
rebels knew that, if they did not succeed in whipping us then, their 
chances for success would be extremely doubtful, as a portion of General 
Buell's forces had by this time arrived on the opposite side of the river, 
and another portion was coming up the river from Savannah. They be- 
came aware that we were being re-enforced, as they could see General 
Buell's troops from the river bank, a short distance above us on the left, 
to which point they had forced their way. 

At five o'clock the rebels had forced our left wing back so as to occupy 
fully two-thirds of our camp, and were fighting their way forward with 
a desperate degree of confidence in their efforts to drive us into the river, 
and at the same time heavily engaged our right. 

Up to this time we had received no re-enforcements, General Lewis 
"Wallace failing to come to our support until the day was over. Being 
without other transports than those used for quartermaster's and com- 
missary stores, which were too heavily laden to ferry any considerable 
nunAer of General Buell's forces across the river, and the boats that 
were here having been sent to bring up the troops from Savannah, we 
could not even get those men to us who were so near, and anxiously 
waiting to take part in the struggle. We were, therefore, contesting against 
fearful odds, our force not exceeding thirty-eight thousand men, while that of 
the enemy v;asupicards of sixty thousand. 

Our condition at this moment was extremely critical. Large numbers 
Of men panic struck, others worn out by hard fighting, with the average 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 91 

percentage of skulkers, had straggled towards the river, and could not 
be rallied. 

General Grant and staff, who had been recklessly riding along the lines 
during the entire day, amid the unceasing storm of bullets, grape, and shell, 
now rode from right to left, inciting the men to stand firm until our re-en- 
forcements could cross the river. 

Colonel "Webster, Chief of Staff, immediately got into position the 
heaviest pieces of artillery, pointing on the enemy's right, while a large 
number of the batteries were planted along the entire line, from the river 
bank northwest to our extreme right, some two and a half miles distant. 
About an hour before dusk a general cannonading was opened upon the 
enemy, from along our whole line-, with a perpetual crack of musketry. 
Such a roar of artillery was never heard on this continent. For a short 
time the rebels replied with vigor and effect, but their return shots grew 
less frequent and destructive, while ours grew more rapid and more terrible. 

The gunboats Lexington and Tyler, which lay a short distance off, 
kept raining shell on the rebel hordes. This last effort was too much for 
the enemy, and ere dusk had set in the firing had nearly ceased, when, 
night coming on, all the combatants rested from their awful work of blood 
and carnage. 

Our men rested on their arms in the position they had at the close of 
the night, until the forces under Major-General Lewis Wallace arrived and 
took position on the right, and General Buell's forces from the opposite 
side and Savannah, were being conveyed to the battle-ground. The en- 
tire right of General Nelson's division was ordered to form on the right, 
and the forces under General Crittenden were ordered to his support 
early in the morning. 

THE SECOXD DAY'S BATTLE. 

General Buell, having himself arrived on Sunday evening, on the morn- 
ing of Monday, April 7th, the ball was opened at daylight, simultaneously 
by Genenjl Nelson's division on the left, and Major-General Wallace's 
division on the right. General Nelson's force opened up a most galling 
fire on the rebels, and advanced rapidly as they fell back. The fire soon 
became general along the whole line, and began to tell with terrible 
effect on the enemy. Generals McClernand, Sherman, and Hurlburt's 
men, though terribly jaded from the previous day's fighting, still main- 
tained their honors won at Donelson ; but the resistance of the rebels 
at all points of the attack was terrible, and worthy of a better cause. 



92 GENERAL GRANT 

But they were not enough for our undaunted bravery, and the dread- 
ful desolation produced by our artillery, which was sweeping them away 
like chaff before the wind. But knowing that a defeat here would be the 
death-blow to their hopes, and that their all depended on this great struggle, 
their generals still urged them on in the face of destruction, hoping by 
flankiag us on the right to turn the tide of battlo. Their success was 
again for a time cheering, as they began to gain ground on us, appearing 
to have been re-enforced; but our left, under General Nelson, was 
driving them, and with wonderful rapidity, and by eleven o'clock Gen- 
eral Buell' s forces had succeeded in flanking them, and capturing their 
batteries of artillery. 

They, however, again rallied on the left, and recrossed, and the right 
forced themselves forward in another desperate effort. But re-enforce- 
ments from General "Wood and General Thomas were coming in, regi- 
ment after regiment, which were sent to General Buell, who had again 
commenced to drive the enemy. 

About three o'clock in the afternoon, General Grant rode to the left 
where the fresh regiments had been ordered, and, finding the rebels 
wavering, sent a portion of his body guard to the head of each of five 
regiments, and then ordered a charge across the field, himself leading; and 
as he brandished his sword and waved them on to the crowning victory, the 
cannon-balls were falling like hail around him. 

The men followed with a shout that sounded above the roar and din 
of the artillery, and the rebels fled in dismay as from a destroying ava- 
lanche, and never made another stand. 

General Buell followed the retreating rebels, driving them in splendid 
style, and by half-past five o'clock the whole rebel army was in full re- 
treat to Corinth, with our cavalry in hot pursuit, with what further re- 
sult is not known, not having returned up to this hour. 

We have taken a large amount of their artillery and also a number of 
prisoners. We lost a number of our forces prisoners yesterday, among 
whom is General Prentiss. The number of our force taken has not yet 
been ascertained. It is reported at several hundred. General Prentiss 
was also reported as being wounded. Among tho killed on the rebel 
side, was their General-in-Chief, Albert Sydney Johnston, who was struck 
by a cannon-ball on the afternoon of Sunday. Of this there is no doubt, 
and it is further reported that General Beauregard was wounded. 

This afternoon, Generals Bragg, Breckinridge, and Jaekson were com- 
manding portions of the rebel forces. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 93 

THE STTUillXG UP OF THE TWO DATS. 

There has never been a parallel to the gallantry and bearing of our 
officers, from the Commanding General to the lowest officer. 

General Grant and staff were in the field, riding along the lines in the 
thickest of the enemy's fire during the entire two days of the battle, and 
all slept on the ground Sunday night, during a heavy rain. On several 
occasions General Grant got within range of the enemy's guns and was 
discovered and fired upon. 

Lieutenant-Colonel McPherson had his horse shot from under him when 
along side of General Grant. 

Captain Carson was between General Grant and your correspondent 
when a cannon-ball took off his head and killed and wounded several 
others. 

General Sherman had two horses killed under him, and General McCler- 
nand shared like dangers ; also General Hurlbut, each of whom received 
bullet holes through their clothes. * 

The publication of the foregoing account so soon after 
the battle, created a great excitement among the citizens 
of New York, and during the day it was telegraphed to 
the national capital and to other parts of the Union. The 
proprietor of the newspaper in which it was published, 
telegraphed it immediately to the President and to both 
Houses of Congress, in which it was read aloud. In the 
Lower House, Mr. Colfax, on asking leave to read the dis- 
patch, was greeted on all sides of the House with cries of 
" To the Clerk's desk." The previous noise and excite- 
ment subsided, and as the House listened to the brief and 
pregnant details of the bloody struggle which preceded 
the glorious victory over the concentrated strength of reb- 
eldom, all hearts were stilled, and the very breathing 
almost suppressed, till the last word of the dispatch was 
read. The rejoicing was great at the victory, though 
somewhat saddened at the price of blood with which it 
had been purchased. 

* Army Correspondence. 



94 GENERAL GRANT 

The following extract from the official War Bulletin is 
complimentary to the commanding generals engaged. 

" War Department, "Washington, 
"April 9, 18G2. 
[Extract.'] 

" That the thanks of the Department are hereby given to Major-Gen- 
erals Grant and Buell, and their forces, for the glorious repulse of Beau- 
regard at Pittsburg, in Tennessee." 

A salute of one hundred guns was fired at Washington, 
in honor of this and other victories which had recently 
taken place. 

During this engagement, Major-General Grant was 
slightly wounded in the ankle, but not enough to prevent 
him from attending to his duties in the field. 

It will be seen by the details of the struggle that on the 
first day, the success seemed to be entirely on the side of 
the rebels, and on that ground, General Beauregard, who 
succeeded General Johnston, telegraphed to the rebel 
government as follows : 

Corinth, Tuesday, April 8, 1862. 
To the Secretary of "War, Richmond : 

"We have gained a great and glorious victory. Eight to ten thousand 
prisoners and thirty-six pieces of cannon. Buell re-enforced Grant, and 
we retired to our intrenchments at Corinth, which we can hold. Loss 
heavy on both sides. Beauregard. 

From the following correspondence it does not appear 
that the rebels could have moved about at will, or had even 
the consolation of a victory : 

Head-Quarters, Department of Mississippi, 
Monterey. April 8, 1862. 
Sir : — At the close of the conflict yesterday, my forces being exhausted 
by the extraordinary length of the time during which they were engaged 
with yours on that and the preceding day, and it being apparent that 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 95 

you had received, and were stQl receiving, re-enforcements, I felt it my 
duty to withdraw my troops from the immediate scene of the conflict 
Under these circumstances, in accordance with the usages of war, I 
shall transmit this under a flag of truce, to ask permission to send a 
mounted party to the battle-field of Shiloh, for the purpose of giving de- 
cent interment to my dead. Certain gentlemen wishing to avail them- 
selves of this opportunity to remove the remains of their sons and 
friends, I must request for them the privilege of accompanying the burial 
party ; and in this connection, I deem it proper to say. I am asking what 
I have extended to your own countrymen under similar circumstances. 

Respectfully, General, your obedient servant, 

P. G. T. Beauregard, General Commanding. 

To Major-General U. S. Grant, Major- General Commanding United 
States Forces, Pittsburg Landing. 

Head-Quarters, Army in field, 
Pittsburg, April 9, 1862 . 
General P. G. T. Beauregard, Commanding Confederate Army on Mis- 
sissippi, Monterey, Tenn. 

Tour dispatch of yesterday is just received. Owing to the warmth 
of the weather I deemed it advisable to have all the dead of both parties 
buried immediately. Heavy details were made for this purpose, and it 
is now accomplished. There cannot, therefore, be any necessity of ad- 
mitting within our lines the parties you desired to send on the ground 
asked. I shall always be glad to extend any courtesy consistent with 
duty, and especially so when dictated by humanity. I am, General, 
respectfully, your obedient servant, 

TJ. S. Grant, Maj.- Gen. Commanding. 

On the morning of April 8th, General Sherman, the com- 
mander of the Fifth Division, at the head of a cavalry force 
and two brigades of infantry, made a reconnoissance along 
the Corinth road, where he found the abandoned camps of 
the rebels lining the roads with hospital flags for their 
protection. Shortly after he came upon the rebel cavalry, 
which, after a skirmish, was driven from the field. He then 
destroyed the rebel camp, including the ammunition in- 
tended for the rebels' guns. 

General Sherman found the road to Corinth strewed 



96 GENERAL GRANT 

with abandoned wagons, ambulances, and limber-boxes, — 
evident sign of a hasty retreat. The enemy had succeeded 
in removing the guns ; but had crippled his batteries by 
abandoning the limber-boxes of, at least, twenty pieces. 
The retreat of the enemy's infantry was evidently a disor- 
derly one, and had not the cavalry been in great force, to 
protect the rear, might soon have been turned into a disas- 
trous rout. 

When the news of this battle reached St. Louis, General 
Ilalleck, the commander of the department, determined to 
take the field himself, and inquire into the real results of 
the "Battle of Shiloh." 

On his arrival at Pittsburg Landing, he issued the follow- 
ing order to the troops : 

Head-Quarters, Department op the Mississippi, 
Pittsburg, Tenx., April 13, 1862. 
I. The major-general commanding this department thanks Major- 
General Grant and Major-General Buell, and the officers and men of 
their respective commands, for the bravery and endurance with which 
they sustained the general attacks of the enemy on the Gth, and for the 
heroic manner in which, on the 7th instant, they defeated and routed 
the entire rebel army. The soldiers of the great West have added new 
laurels to those which they had already won on numerous battle-fields. 

III. Major-Generals Grant and Buell will retain the immediate com- 
mand of their respective armies in the field. 

By command of Major-General Halleck. 

N. H. McLean, A. A. G. 

Cavalry skirmishes still continued, at intervals, to take 
place along the outposts of the Union army ; but nothing 
important occurred until April 17, 1862, when the move- 
ment was made towards Corinth. 



ANT) HIS CAMPAIGNS. 97 



CHAPTER XI. 

MOVEMENT AND SIEGE OF COEINTH. 

On the morning of April 17, 1862, a heavy cavalry 
force under Brigadier-General Smith, Chiof of Cavalry, was 
detailed to make a reconnoissance along the upper road from 
Pittsburg Landing to Corinth. The force arrived within 
two miles of Monterey without meeting any opposition. 
Several of the men dismounted to act as skirmishers, and 
steadily advanced until they discovered the exact position 
of a large force of the enemy, when they fell back upon 
the main body and returned. 

On April 24th, another similar reconnoissance was made 
under the same commander, towards an elevation known as 
Pea Ridge, where a rebel camp was discovered and de- 
stroyed, and a few prisoners taken. 

The operations along the Mississippi River, had also 
opened that highway some distance below Island No. 10, 
and on learning this, General Beauregard, who had assumed 
the sole chief command of the rebel troops, issued an ad- 
dress to the planters as follows : 

"The casualties of war have opened the Mississippi to our enemies. 
The time has, therefore, come to test the earnestness of all classes, and 
I call upon all patriotic planters owning cotton in the possible reach of 
our enemies, to apply the torch to it without delay or hesitation." 

It was thought that, by this mode of procedure, the 
Union troops would have less inducements to fight, as the 
profit of their victories would necessarily be greatly de- 
5 



98 GENERAL GRANT 

creased. In this, however, the rebels had greatly de- 
ceived themselves. 

On April 27th, Purdy, on the Jackson and Corinth Rail- 
road, was abandoned by the rebels, and a cavalry skirmish 
took place near Monterey, a village situated at about ten 
miles from Corinth. Several prisoners were taken, and 
from them it was ascertained that Beauregard was concen- 
trating all his available force at Corinth, which he had for- 
tified, and where, he stated, he was determined to make a 
desperate resistance. On the 29th, a similar affair took 
place at Monterey, the rebels losing their camp and several 
prisoners. 

A reconnoissance in force was made by the right wing 
of General Halleck's grand army, on April 30, 1862, to 
a point of the railroad four miles above Purdy, between 
Corinth and Jackson, Tennessee. The Union troops were 
met by a body of rebel cavalry, who fled to that town, 
closely pursued by the advancing forces. Purdy was taken 
possession of by the Unionists, who soon, by the destruc- 
tion of bridges, etc., cut off all railroad communication along 
that route between Corinth and Northwestern Tennessee. 
On this day the siege of Corinth may be said to have com- 
menced. 

General Halleck, wishing to have a force of men under 
him that should be invincible in the event of a battle 
taking place, sent for all the unemployed troops in his large 
department, and ordered them to be concentrated at Pitts- 
burg Landing, which was constituted a base of operations 
in the movement upon Corinth. This force he designated 
as the " Grand Army of the Tennessee," a special compli 
ment to General Grant, the commander of the original 
Army of the Tennessee. The " Grand Army" was divided 
into three armies, as follows : 



i 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 99 

The Army of the Ohio (centre), under General Buell. 
The Army of the Mississippi (left), under General Pope. 
The Army of the Tennessee (right), under General Grant. 

This grand army was composed of sixteen divisions, 
eight of which formed the Army of the Tennessee, and 
were placed under the immediate command of General 
Grant ; four under General Pope, and four under Genera" 
Buell. General Grant's command was, therefore, as large 
as the two other armies combined, and was divided into 
the "right" or active wing, under General Thomas, and the 
" reserve" under General McClernand. 

About this time, an almost universal hue and cry was 
raised against General Grant, by the friends of those 
who had fallen at Donelson and Shiloh. The charges 
preferred against him were incapacity and inebriety, and 
the persons who made them had, doubtless, been stirred up 
by those who wished to kill the rising fame of the heroic 
commander. The feeling against him even found its way 
into the halls of Congress, and every effort was made to 
remove him from his command. The Hon. E. B. Wash- 
burne, representing, in Congress, the Galena District — the 
home of both General Grant and himself— promptly under- 
took his defence. The Governors of the Western States 
went down in a body to General Halleck, at Pittsburg 
Landing, and tried to induce him to send General Grant 
away from that army. But General Halleck knew his 
worth too well to adopt such a course. He, instead, gave 
him, on May 1st, a far higher position, by placing him second 
in command to himself over the grand army, allowing him 
to retain the personal command of his own special forces 
on the right, and of the District of the Tennessee, in 
which the expected battle was to be fought. 



100 GENERAL GRANT 

General Beauregard, being advised of the manner of 
procedure of the Union troops, and expecting a severe bat- 
tle, called for all the re-enforcements he could obtain. On 
the 2d of May, 18G2, a strong rebel force concentrated at 
Corinth, and to this united command, he issued a very 
spirited address. 

Reconnoissances "were continually being sent out by the 
Union commanders ; and, on the 8th of May, the cavalry 
penetrated the rebel lines to within a mile and a half of 
Corinth. The rebels also made several dashes upon the 
Union lines, and even succeeded in causing the retirement 
of some of the forces on the left. 

On the 11th of May, a consultation of the chief officers 
was held at General Halleck's head-quarters, and it was 
determined that a general advance should be made of the 
whole grand army. Shortly after this consultation, the 
movement of the troops commenced. Steadily and surely 
did they all push forward towards a common centre, which 
was understood to be Corinth, and the enthusiasm of the 
men was only kept within bounds by the knowledge that 
to secure victory, a terrific battle would have soon to be 
fought. 

The rebels, however, were determined that the Union 
troops should not arrive at Corinth, or in its close vicinity, 
without a struggle. Therefore, on May 17, 1862, General 
Sherman's Fifth Division of General Grant's Army of the 
Tennessee, was brought into actual conflict with the rebel 
troops, at Russell's House, on the road to that city. The 
rebels were forced to give way, and fell back to their 
strongholds, while the Unionists continued to occupy this 
former rebel position, which they intrenched. 

When the strength of Corinth was definitely ascertained, 
it was determined to reduce the fortified city by regular 
approaches. General Beauregard being, as an engineer 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 101 

officer, fully aware of the ultimate result of such a course 
of action, began to withdraw his garrison by the roads still 
open to him. This movement became the more necessary, 
as the U. S. naval forces were rapidly approaching Mem- 
phis from above, and New Orleans and other points of the 
Mississippi River below had already fallen into the hands 
of the Unionists. Should Memphis and Vicksburg be 
taken before his forces could escape from Corinth, it was 
more than likely that his whole command, which was be- 
coming demoralized, would have surrendered, rather than 
endure the horrors of a siege. 

To cover his retrograde movements, General Beauregard 
sent out a force to resist the advance of the Union troops, 
who were about to take possession of the ridge to the 
North of Phillip's Creek. On May 21st, the Second Di- 
vision of General Grant's Army of the Tennessee, under 
General T. A. Davis, made the necessary movements to 
occupy the elevation ; but fouud the rebels very strongly 
posted. By a feint of a retreat the garrison was brought 
out of their works, and, after a vigorous contest, was com- 
pletely routed. The Union division then took possession of 
the heights, securing at the same time several prisoners, with 
their arms, camp equipage, etc. A reconnoissance was 
then made towards Corinth, to find out the position of the 
enemy, who still was able to show a bold frout. 

The parallels of the Union army began daily to get 
nearer and nearer to the city, and skirmishing was a con- 
stant occurrence along the whole line. A sharp fight be- 
tween General Sherman's division and the rebels took 
place on May 27th ; but as the latter, notwithstanding that 
they were in larger force than the Unionists, retreated, it is 
now plainly to be seen that the contest was merely for the 
purpose of delaying the advance of the Union army. 

General Sherman, in his report of the engagement, says ■ 



102 GENEBAL GEANT 

"The enemy was evidently surprised, and only killed two of our men, 
and wounded nine. After he had reached the ridge, he opened on ua 
with a two-gun battery on the right and another from the front and left, 
doing my brigades but little harm, but killing three of General Yeatch's 
men. "With our artillery we soon silenced his, and by ten A. M. we were 
masters of the position. Generals Grant and Thomas were present during 
the affair and witnessed the movement, which was admirably executed, all 
the officers and men keeping their places like real soldiers." 

The above extract plainly removes the impression which 
had been formed that General Grant had been relieved from 
actual command in the field for the result of the first day's 
engagement at Shiloh. 

Three columns of Union troops advanced the next day, 
under the personal superintendence of General Grant, to 
within gunshot of the rebel works at Corinth, and made a 
reconnoissance in force. The rebels hotly contested the 
ground ; but being closely pressed had to fall back, with 
considerable loss. The column on the left encountered the 
greatest opposition. 

The following account of the advance is given by one 
who participated in the siege : 

Though the task be a most difficult one, yet I will try to give your 
readers a faint idea of the scenes which an advance presents. 

First, the enemy must be driven back. Regiments and artillery are 
placed in position, and generally the cavalry is in advance, but when 
the opposing forces are in close proximity the infantry does the work. 
The whole front is covered by a cloud of skirmishers, and then reserves 
formed, and then, in connection with the main line, they advance. For 
a moment, all is still as the grave to those in the background ; as the 
line moves on, the eye is strained in vain to follow the skirmishers as 
they creep silently forward ; then, from some point of the line, a single 
rifle rings through the forest, sharp and clear, and, as if in echo, another 
answers it. In a moment more the whole line resounds with the din of 
arms. Here the fire is slow and steady, there it rattles with fearful 
rapidity, and this mingled with the great roar of the reserves as the 
6kirmishers chance at any point to be driven in ; and if, by reason of 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 103 

superior force, these reserves fall back to the main force, then every 
nook and corner seems full of sound. The batteries open their terrible 
voices, and their shells sing horribly while winging their flight, and 
their dull explosion speaks plainly of death ; their canister and grape go 
crashing through the trees, rifles ring, the muskets roar, and the din is ter- 
rific. Then the slackening of the fire denotes the withdrawing of the one 
party, and the more distant picket-firing, that the work was accomplish- 
ed. The silence becomes almost painful after such a scene as this, and 
no one can conceive of the effect who has not experienced it ; it cannot 
be described. The occasional firing of the pickets, which shows that 
the new lines are established, actually occasions a sense of relief. The 
movements of the mind under euch circumstances are sudden and 
strong. It awaits with intense anxiety the opening of the contest, it 
rises with the din of battle, it sinks with the lull which follows it, and 
finds itself in fit condition to sympathize most deeply with the torn and 
bleeding ones that are fast being borne to the rear. 

"When the ground is clear, then the time for working parties has 
arrived, and as this is the description of a real scene, let me premise 
that the works were to reach through the centre of a large open farm of 
at least three hundred acres, surrounded by woods, one side of it being 
occupied by rebel pickets. These had been driven back as I have 
described. 

The line of the works was selected, and at the word of comnjand 
three thousand men, with axes, spades, and picks, stepped out into the 
open field from their cover in the woods ; in almost as short a time as it 
takes to teU it, the fence-rails which surrounded and divided three 
hundred acres into convenient farm-lots were on the shoulders of the 
men, and on the way to the intended line of works. In a few moments 
more a long fine of crib-work stretches over the slope of the hill, as if 
another anaconda fold had been twisted around the rebels. Then as 
for a time, the ditches deepen, the cribs fill up, the dirt is packed on the 
outer side, the bushes and all points of concealment are cleared from the 
front, and the centre divisions of our army had taken a long stride to- 
wards the rebel works. The siege-guns are brought up and placed in 
commanding positions. A log house furnishes the hewn and seasoned 
timber for the platforms, and the plantation of a Southern lord has been 
thus speedily transferred into one of Uncle Sam's strongholds, where 
the Stars and Stripes float proudly. Thus had the whole army (under 
the immediate charge of General Grant, the commander in the field) 
worked itself up into the very teeth of the rebel works, and rested there 



104 



GENERAL GRANT 



on Thursday night, the twenty -eighth, expecting a general engagement 
at any moment. 

Soon after daylight, on Friday morning, the army was startled by rapid 
and long-continued explosions, similar to musketry, but much louder. 
The conviction flashed across my mind that the rebels were blowing up 
their loose ammunition and leaving. The dense smoke arising in the 
direction of Corinth strengthened this belief, and soon the whole army 
was advancing on a grand reconnoissance. The distance through the 
woods was short, and in a few minutes shouts arose from the rebel lines, 
which told that our army was in the enemy's trenches. Regiment after 
regiment pressed on, and passing through extensive camps just vacated, 
soon reached Corinth and found half of it in flames. Beauregard and 
Bragg had left the afternoon before and the rear-guard had passed out 
of the town before daylight, leaving enough stragglers to commit many 
acts of vandalism, at the expense of private property. They burned 
churches and other public buildings, private goods, stores and dwell- 
ings, and choked up half the wells in town. In the camps imme- 
diately around the town, there were few evidences of hasty retreat, but 
on the right flank where Price and Van Dorn were encamped, the 
destruction of baggage and stores was very great, showing precipitate 
flight. Portions of our army were immediately put in pursuit. 

It seems that it was the slow and careful approach of General ITalleck 
■which caused the retreat. They would doubtless havo remained had 
we attacked their positions without first securing our rear, but they 
could not stand a siege. Their position was a most commanding one 
and well protected.* 

The works were first occupied by the Fifth Division of 
General Grant's Army of the Tennessee, under the com- 
mand of Major-General William T. Sherman, which body 
of troops had, between the interval of leaving Shiloh and 
the occupation of Corinth, occupied and strongly intrench- 
ed seven distinct camps, in a manner to excite the admira- 
tion and high commendation of the commanding generals. 
This division had occupied the right flank of the grand 
army during the whole advance, and was consequently the 
more exposed by their position ; having to detail a larger 

* Corinth Correspondence of the Cincinnati Gazette. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 105 

guard and perform more work than their companion divis- 
ions. 

Shortly before midnight, on May 29th, 1862, the remain- 
ing portion of the rebel army was withdrawn from the 
works, leaving their pickets unprotected. The evacuation 
of Corinth at the time, and the manner in which it was done, 
was a clear back down from the high and arrogant tone 
heretofore used by the rebels. They had chosen their own 
ground, which they had fortified, occupying a very large 
force for two months in the construction of their defences, 
and it was naturally supposed that the works were fully 
'strong enough to secure the defeat of the assailants. 

Corinth was, indeed, a stronghold, and its importance to 
whichever side should hold it cannot be over estimated. 
As an evidence of that fact, it was kept by the United 
States forces as a strong military post until the begin- 
ning of 1864, and a proper garrison there retained. 

The following description of the occupation of Corinth, 

written on the spot, may not be uninteresting to our 

readers : 

Corinth, May 30, 1862. 

The siege of Corinth, begun on April 30th, ended this morning. 
About half-past six, in the morning, orders to march were received, and 
at seven, the greater portion of the men were outside their breastworks, 
cautiously feeling their way through the dense underbrush which inter- 
vened between our fortifications and the defences of Corinth ; but after 
proceeding three-eighths of a mile, they came to an open space, and the 
enemy's works, abandoned and desolate, burst upon their astonished 
gaze. The sight was entirely unexpected. 

The opening was made by the rebels, who had felled the timber for 
about three hundred yards in front of their intrenchments, for the 
double purpose of obstructing our progress and giving them a fair view 
of our column when within rifle-range. 

The view from the highest point of the rebel works, immediately in 

front of Davies's, now Rosecrans's division, of Grant's Army of the 

Tennessee, was truly grand. The circle of vision was at least five 

miles in extent, stretching from the extreme right to the extreme left, 

5* 



106 GENERAL GEANT 

and the magnificent display of banners, the bristling of shining 
bayonets, and the steady step of the handsomely attired soldiers, pre- 
sented a pageant which has seldom been witnessed on this continent. 

Upon many of the regimental ensigns were printed ' Wilson's 
Creek,' 'Dug Springs, 'Donelson,' or ' Shiloh,' and one or two wave all 
these mottoes in the breeze. Those who passed through all these 
trying ordeals, unscathed, or who received honorable wounds in either, 
in future can look back upon a life devoted to their country's service, 
and feel that proud satisfaction which is denied to others not less patri- 
otic, but less fortunate. In future pageants in honor of the nation's 
birthday, when the last relics of former struggles have become extinct, 
and when these shall be bowed down with age, they will be their 
country's honored guests, and receive that consideration due their 
noble deeds. 

Notwithstanding the desire of the soldiers to possess themselves of 
relics of the retreating foe, perfect order was maintained in the lines. 
Your correspondent wandered around the large area lately occupied by 
the rebel troops, but found few trophies which were worth preserving. 
A broken sword and double-barreled shot-gun were picked up after an 
hour's search, but these were seized by the Provost-Marshal at the 
Landing, and confiscated. 

The enemy, with the exception of the rear-guard, had left with the 
greatest deliberation. A few worthless tents, some heavy kettles, a 
large number of old barrels, tin cups, and articles of this description, 
were the only camp equipages not taken away. 

There is nothing so desolate as a newly deserted camp. But yes- 
■ terday, and all was life and animation ; to-day the white tents 
have disappeared, the heavy footsteps have ceased to sound, and 
no evidence, save the desolated, hard-trodden ground, and a few 
tent-stakes, remain to tell the story. 

Nothing surprised me more than the character of the rebel works. 
From the length of time Beauregard's army had been occupying 
the place, with a view to its defence, and from the importance the rebel 
general attached to it, in his dispatch which was intercepted by General 
Mitchcl, I had been led to suppose that the fortifications were really 
formidable. But such was not the case. I admire the engineering 
which dictated the position of the intrenchments, and the lines they oc- 
cupied, but that is all that deserves the slightest commendation. 

But a single line of general fortifications had been constructed, and 
these were actually less formidable than those thrown up by our forces last 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 107 

night, after occupying a new position. There were, besides this gene- 
ral line, occasional rifle-pits, both outside and inside the works, but they 
could have been constructed by three relief details in six hours. 

The only fortifications really worthy the name, were a few points 
where batteries were located, but these could not have resisted our Par- 
rot and siege-guns half an hour. Yet the positions occupied by 
the breastworks were capable of being strengthened so as to render 
them almost invulnerable to a front attack, and no little difficulty would 
have been experienced in flanking the position, either on the right 
or left. 

The works were on the brow of a ridge, considerably higher than any 
in the surrounding country, and at the foot of it was a ravine, correspond- 
ingly deep. The zigzag course of the line gave the defenders the com- 
mand of all the feasible approaches, and hundreds could have been 
mowed down at every step made by an assailing army, even from the 
imperfect earth-banks which had been thrown up. 

Had a fight occurred, it must have been decided by artillery, and in 
this respect we had the advantage, both in number and calibre of our 
guns ; but had they improved the advantages they possessed, and forti- 
fied as men who really intended to make a stubborn defence, this supe- 
riority might have been overcome. 

The conduct of the rebels is, indeed, beyond comprehension. Here is 
a place commanding several important railroads ; a place, the seizure of 
which Beauregard confessed, in his celebrated dispatch to Davis, would 
open to us the valley of the Mississippi ; a position capable of as stubborn 
a defence as Sebastopol, and yet scarcely an effort is made to fortify 
it, and its possessors fly at our approach. A stubborn resistance, even 
though followed by defeat, would command respect abroad ; but a suc- 
cession of evacuations, upon the slightest approach of danger, can insure 
only contempt. 

The troops from every direction marched toward a common centre — 
Corinth ; and as they neared each other and friends recognized friends, 
whom they had not seen for weeks or months, though separated but a 
few miles, greetings were exchanged, and as regiments met for the first 
time since leaving tho bloody fields of Donelson and Shiloh, cheer after 
cheer resounded through the forests, and were echoed and re-echoed by 
the hills, as if tho earth itself desired to prolong the sound. 

As no rain had fallen for some time, the roads were exceedingly 
dusty, as was the whole camping-ground, which had been trampled 
solid by eighty thousand rebels. But all forgot obstacles and annoyan- 



103 GENERAL GRANT 

ces in the eagerness to see the town before which they had lain so long. 
A little after eight o'clock, a portion of the left and centre filed in, and 
Avere met by Mr. Harrington, the Mayor's clerk, who asked protection 
for private property, and for such of the citizens as had determined to 
remain. It is needless to add that his request was granted, and guards 
stationed at every door, as the object of our march is not to plunder, but 
to save.* 

Corinth is built upon low lands and clay soil, so that in 
wet weather the place may very properly be denominated 
a swamp ; but the soil is as easily affected by the drought 
as by rains. Just outside of the town are the ridges, 
which might be appropriately denominated hills, and upon 
which second, third, and fourth lines of defences could have 
been erected. The highest lands are in the direction of 
Farmington on the east, and College Hill on the south- 
west. The town is situated at the junction of the Mobile 
and Ohio and the Memphis and Charleston Railroads, both 
very important lines of communication, and indispensable 
to the enemy. The town is nearly all north of the Mem- 
phis and east of the Mobile road. Corinth was at one time a 
pleasant country village, of about 1,200 inhabitants, and the 
houses were built in the style only used in the South. 

The rebel generals all had their head-quarters in houses 
during the siege, generally occupying the finest residences 
in the place. Beauregard's was on the east of the Purdy 
road, and at the outskirts of the village. The rebel chief- 
tain was evidently surrounded by all the comforts and lux- 
uries of life. Telegraph wires run in every direction from 
the building, but the wires were all cut, and the instruments 
taken away at the time the place was evacuated ; so that 
when our army took possession of Corinth, they could only 
judge of, but could not use, these means of communication. 

The Union forces engaged in the pursuit, which was con- 

* Army correspondence. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 109 

ducted with great rapidity and skill, followed the rebels 
far down the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, through a diffi- 
cult country much obstructed by the enemy. On the after- 
noon of the 30th of May the Union forces, which were sent 
out on the night of May 28th to cut off the rebel retreat, 
reached Boonesville, Miss., and there destroyed the track 
in many places both north and south of the town, blew up 
one culvert, burned the depot, locomotives and a train of 
twenty-six cars loaded with supplies, destroyed a quantity 
of arms, including artillery, clothing, and ammunition, be- 
sides taking a number of prisoners who belonged to the 
rear of the retreating forces. So desolated had the coun- 
try become, that the pursuers had to live upon meat alone, 
such as they could find around them on their line of travel. 
Colonel Elliott, the commander of the cavalry, not having 
any wagons with him, could not collect food and forage : 
he, however, found a few sheep, which he devoted to the 
use of his followers ; but the flesh was very poor and tough. 
The prisoners he captured were mostly infantry, and find- 
ing that he would have very great difficulty in looking after 
them, if he took them along with him, he merely disarmed 
them and sent them about their business. 

Plans were laid by the rebels to cut off Colonel Elliott's 
command on its return ; but the colonel judiciously chose 
another road, by which he escaped the snare, and arrived 
safely at Tuscumbia on June 1st, 1862. The route taken 
in the advan -e was by Iuka, Eastport, and Fulton, thence 
along the Tuscumbia and Jacinto road to Cartersville, 
thence to Padens and Boonesville, where the damage was 
principally inflicted on the rebels. The return was by the 
road to Tuscumbia. 

On the 9th of June, 1862, General Halleck reported that 
the rebels had fallen back fifty miles from Corinth, by the 
nearest railroad route, and seventy miles by the wagon 



110 GENERAL GRANT 

road, and that the estimated rebel loss, during the cam- 
paign near that place, was about forty thousand men. He 
also reported a state of demoralization existing in General 
Beauregard's army, and that the prisoners taken in many 
cases begged that they should not be exchanged, as they 
had purposely allowed themselves to be captured. 

Holly Springs, Miss., on the railroad from Jackson, Tenn., 
to New Orleans, was taken possession of by General Sher- 
man's forces of Grant's Army, on June 20th, 1862; and to 
prevent surprise by the rebels, several pieces of trestle- 
work on the Mississippi Central Railroad were destroyed. 
The rebels, before evacuating the place, had removed their 
machinery for the repairing and making of arms to Atlanta, 
in Georgia. 

The campaign in this part of the country having virtual- 
ly ended, General Halleck was, on July 11th, 1862, ordered 
to Washington, to assume the position of General-in-Chief, 
and, on the 1 7th, took leave of his army in a farewell ad- 
dress, congratulating the officers and soldiers belonging to 
it, on their endurance and bravery. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 



Ill 



CHAPTER XII. 



THE DEPAflX^l ENT OF WEST TENNESSEE. — MEMPHIS. 

The removal ol General Halleck from the command of so 
large a tract of country, naturally led to a reorganization 
of the forces in the West, and new departments were 
created out of the original Department of the Mississippi. 
General Buell's forces were separated, and formed into the 
Department of the Ohio, embracing the district of country 
north and east of the Tennessee River. Missouri was also 
formed into a distinct department. 

All the country from the Mississippi River to the west- 
ern shores of the Tennessee, Cairo, Forts Henry and 
Donelson, the western shore of the Mississippi River, and 
the northern part of the State of Mississippi, was formed 
into the " Department of West Tennessee." Of this de- 
partment, General Grant was made the commander, with 
his head-quarters at Corinth. 

Memphis, which had surrendered on June 6th, 1862, soon 
after the evacuation of Corinth, and had been occupied at 
once by the Union forces, now formed part of this depai't- 
ment, and became, by this time, a very important post, 
both as a base of operations and of supplies. General 
Grant, while commanding the district, visited the post as 
soon as convenient, and placed it under the jurisdiction of 
a provost-marshal. Among other orders, he issued the 
following, as it was necessary to prevent the co-operation 
between the latent rebels in that city with those in arms 
outside our lines: 



112 



GENERAL GRANT 



Head-Quarters, District of "West Tennessee, ) 
Office Provost-Marshal General, > 
Memphis, June 28, 1862. ) 

[Special Orders, No. 4.] 

* * * * * * 

Passes issued for persons to pass out of the city will be understood 
to mean the person alone, and will not include goods, letters, or pack- 
ages. 

"Where letters are found on persons passing out, without being 
marked PASSED by the Provost-Marshal, Pest Commander, or General, 
Commanding, they will be seized and delivered to the Provost-Marshal 
and the offender arrested. 

Powder, lead, percussion caps, and fire-arms of ah descriptions, are 
positively prohibited from being carried out of the city by citizens. 
Citizens are also prohibited from carrying them within the city limits on 
pain of forfeiture of such weapons, and ten days' confinement, for the 
first offence, and expulsion south of our lines, to be treated as spies, if 
ever caught within them thereafter, for the second. 

By command of Major-General TJ. S. Grant 

Wm. S. Hillyer, Provost-Marshal General. 

Finding that the above appeared to have had no effect in 
stopping the illicit traffic, General Grant caused the follow- 
ing positive orders to be issued, which determination 
greatly aided hiiu in restoring the city of Memphis to 
order and loyalty. 



■I 



District of West Tennessee, 
Office of the Provost-Marshal General, 
Memphis, Tenn., July 9, 1862. 
[Special Orders, No. 13.] 

All passes heretofore issued to citizens, either by the Commanding 
General, the Provost-Marshal General, the Provost-Marshal of Memphis, 
or any other officer, which may have been issued without the party 
being required to take the Oath of Allegiance, or give the prescribed 
Parole of Honor, are hereby revoked. 

No pass will be granted in any case hereafter, except upon the taking 
of the oath or parole. 

The parole will be substituted for the oath only in special cases (at 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 



113 



the discretion of the officer authorized to grant passes), where the party 
lives beyond the protection of our army. 

By command of Major-General Grant. 

"Wir. S. Hillyer, Provost-Marshal General. 



SB, ) 
ERAL, |- 



District of "West Tennessee, 
Office Provost-Marshal General, 
Memphis, July 10, 1862. 
[Special Orders, No. 14.] 

The constant communication between the so-called Confederate army 
and their friends and sympathizers in the city of Memphis, despite the 
orders heretofore issued, and the efforts to enforce them, induced the 
issuing of the following order : 

The families now residing in the city of Memphis of the following 
persons, are required to move south beyond the lines within five days 
from the date hereof: 

First — All persons holding commissions in the so-called Confederate 
army, or who have voluntarily enlisted in said army, or who accompany 
and are connected with the same. 

Second. — All persons holding office under or in the employ of the so- 
called Confederate Government. 

Third. — All persons holding State, county, or municipal offices, who 
claim allegiance to said so-called Confederate Government, and who 
have abandoned their families and gone South. 

Safe conduct will be given to the parties hereby required to leave, 
upon application to the Provost-Marshal of Memphis. 

By command of Major-General Grant. 



District of "West Tennessee, 
Office of the Provost-Marshal General, 
Memphis, Tenn., July 11, 1862. 
[Special Orders, No. 15.] 

* * # * * * 

In order that innocent, peaceable, and well-disposed persons may 
not suffer for the bad conduct of the guilty parties coming within 
the purview of Special Order No. 14, dated July 10, 1862, they can bo 
relieved from the operation of said order No. 14, by signing the following 
parole, and producing to the Provost-Marshal General, or the Provost- 
Marshal of Memphis, satisfactory guarantees that they will keep tho 
pledge therein made : 



114 GENERAL GKANT 



First. I have not, since the occupation of the city of Memphis by the 
Federal army, given any aid to the so-called Confederate army, nor 
given or sent any information of the movements, strength, or position 
of the Federal army to any one connected with said Confederate army. 

Second. I will not, during the occupancy of Memphis by the Federal 
army and my residing therein, oppose or conspire against the civil or 
military authority of the United States, and that I will not give aid, 
comfort, information, or encouragement to the so-called Confederate 
army, nor to any person co-operating therewith. 

All of which I state and pledge upon my sacred honor. 

By command of Major-General Grant. 

Wm. S. Hill^er, Provost-Marshal General. 

And as a warning to the guerillas who were operating 
about Memphis, destroying cotton and plundering from 
friend and foe, the following order was also issued : 

Head-Quarters, Dist. op West Tennessee, ) 
Memphis, Tenn., July 3, 18G2. J 

[General Order No. 60.] 

The system of guerilla warfare now being prosecuted by some troops 
organized under authority of the so-called Southern Confederacy, and 
others without such authority, being so pernicious to the welfare of the 
community where it is carried on, and it being within the power of the 
community to suppress this system, it is ordered that wherever loss is 
sustained by the Government, collections shall be made, by seizure of a 
sufficient amount of personal property, from persons in the immediate 
neighborhood sympathizing with the rebellion, to remunerate the Gov- 
ernment for all loss and expense of the same. 

Persons acting as guerillas without organization, and without uniform 
to distinguish them from private citizens, are not entitled to the treat- 
ment of prisoners of war when caught, and will not receive such treat- 
lent. By order of Major-General U. S. Grant. 

John A. Rawlins, A. A.-G. 

The newspapers of Memphis had also continued to pub- 
lish articles of a character likely to inflame the people 
against the United States authorities ; and while such license 
of the press was allowed it would have been impossible to 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 115 

have restored order in that part of the district. The fol- 
lowing documents have a very significant tone : 

Head-Quarters District of West Tennessee, 
Office Provost-Marshal General, 
Memphis, Tenn., July 1, 1862. 
Messrs. "Wills, Bingham & Co., Proprietors of the Memphis Avalanche. 

You will suspend the further publication of your paper. The spirit 
■with which it is conducted is regarded as both incendiary and treason- 
able, and its issue cannot longer be tolerated. 

This order will be strictly observed from the time of its reception. 

By command of Maj.-Gen. TJ. S. Grant. 

"Wm. S. Hillter, Provost- Marshal General. 

Memphis, July 1, 18G2. 
The Avalanche can continue by the withdrawal of the author of the 
obnoxious article under the caption of "Mischief Makers," and the edi- 
torial allusion to the same. 

U. S. Grant, Major- General. 

To our Patrons. — For reasons apparent from the foregoing order, I 
withdraw from the editorial management of The Avalanche. Self-respect, 
and the spirit of true journalism, forbid any longer attempt to edit a 
paper. I approved and indorsed the articles in question. Prudence 
forbids my saying more, and duty less, to the public. 

Jeptha Fowlkes. 

The ruinous system of guerilla warfare continuing, and 
it being found almost impossible to stop the contraband 
trade which was being carried on through Memphis, in aid 
of the rebellion, General Grant appointed General Sherman 
to the command of that city, with the full knowledge that 
his determination would soon check both operations. On 
the 21st of July, 1862, General Sherman assumed the com- 
mand, and it was soon detected where the difficulty lay, as 
may be judged from the following order : 

U. S. Military Telegraph, Corinth, July 26, 1862. 
To Brigadier-General J. T. Quimby, Columbus, Ky. 

General : — Examine the baggage of all speculators coming South, 
and when they have specie turn them back. If medicine and other 



116 GENEEAL GRANT 

contraband articles, arrest them and confiscate the contraband articles. 
Jews should receive special attention. 

(Signed) U. S. Grant, Major- General. 

He also ordered the most stringent measures to be 
adopted against all guerillas and their agents, and the fol- 
lowing dispatch is an evidence of the manner with which 
his orders were carried out : 

Trenton, Tenn., July 29, 1862. 
General: — The man who guided the rebels to the bridge that was 
burned was hung to-day. He had taken the oath. The houses of four 
others who aided have been burned to the ground. 

(Signed) G. M. Dodge, Brigadier- General. 

On July 28th, General Grant ordered General Sherman to 
take possession of all unoccupied dwellings, manufactories, 
and stores, within the city of Memphis, to hire them out, 
and to coUect the rents for the United States Government, 
in all cases where the owners wei'e absent, engaged in 
arms against the United States. This plan was adopted to 
prevent the property being destroyed or abused, as well as 
to bring in a revenue from rebel sources to help pay the 
expenses of the war. 

A portion of the rebel forces that had been engaged at 
Corinth were afterwards concentrated at Jackson, Miss., 
whence they were sent to Vicksburg, Baton Rouge, Port 
Hudson, and other places along the Mississippi River, for 
the purpose of again blockading that stream. On the 5th 
of August a battle was fought at Baton Rouge.* 

The large number of negroes that had found refuge 
within the union lines, were about this time becoming a seri- 
ous incubus upon the commanders of the army, and it was 

* Although this battle occurred outside of the limits of General Grant's 
department, it is here alluded to — as it will be found in the course of 
the narrative, that these movements were more or less connected with 
his grand campaign of 1863. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 117 

decided that these men should be put at some useful em- 
ployment. General Grant, therefore, to remedy the evil in 
his own special department, issued the following order, 
which contains certain regulations in relation to both the 
negro refugees and the carrying out of the Confiscation 
law, as passed by the Houses of Congress, and signed by 
the President : 

Head-Quarters, Department op "West Tennessee, ) 
Corinth, Miss., August 11th, 1862. [ 

[General Orders, No. 72.] 

The recent Axt of Congress prohibits the army from returning fugi- 
tives from labor to their claimants, and authorizes the employment of 
such persons in the service of the government. The following orders 
are therefore published for the guidance of the army in this matter. 

1. All fugitives thus employed must be registered ; the names oi 
the fugitives and claimant given, and must be borne upon the morning 
report of the command in which they are kept, showing :ow they are 
employed. 

2. Fugitives may be employed as laborers in the quartermaster a, 
subsistence, and engineer's department ; and whenever by such employ- 
ment a soldier may be saved to its ranks, they may be employed as 
teamsters and as company cooks, not exceeding four to a company, or 
as hospital attendants and nurses. Officers may employ them as pri- 
vate servants, in which latter case the fugitives will not be paid or ra- 
tioned by the government. Negroes thus employed must be secured as 
authorized persons, and will be excluded from the camps. 

3. Officers and soldiers are positively prohibited from enticing 
slaves to leave their masters. "When it becomes necessary to employ 
this kind of labor, the commanding officer of the post or troops must 
send details, all under the charge of a suitable commissioned officer, to 
press into service the slaves of persons to the number required. 

4. Citizens within reach of any military station, known to be dis- 
loyal and dangerous, may be ordered away or arrested, and their crops 
and stock taken for the benefit of the government or the use of the 
army. 

5. All property taken from rebel owners must be duly reported 
and used for the benefit of the government, and be issued to the troops 
through the proper department, and, when practicable, the act of taking 



118 GENERAL GRANT 

Should be accompanied by the written certificate of the officer so taking 
to tho owner or agent of such property. 

It is enjoined on all commanders to see that this order is executed 
strictly under their own direction. The demoralization of troops subse- 
quent upon being left to execute laws in their own way without a proper 
head must be avoided. 

By command of Major-General Grant. 

John A. Rawlins, A. A.-'G. 

It will be seen by the last clause of tbe above order that, 
although General Grant was perfectly willing to carry out 
the' laws according to their letter and spirit, he was deter- 
mined that wholesale plunder should not be allowed within 
the limits of his department. 

Several had taken advantage of the advance of the armies 
to visit certain places in the Southern States within the 
Union lines. Among others were a number of individu- 
als who had fled from their own States to avoid the en- 
rolment ordered under the Conscription act. These men 
were generally of a disreputable character, and made their 
living by following the army, robbing the soldiers, or trad- 
ing with the rebels. To meet the particular cases of these 
men, the following order was issued by General Grant 
from his departmental head-quarters. 

Head-Quarters, Department of West Tennessee, ) 
Corinth, Miss., August 16, 1862. ) 

[General Orders, No. 74.] 

1. All non-residents of this department, found within the same, who, 
if at home, would be subject to draft, will at once be enrolled under the 
supervision of the local commanders where they may be found, and, in 
case of a draft being made by their respective States, an equal proportion 
will be drawn from persons thus enrolled. Persons so drawn will at 
once be assigned to troops from the States to which they owe military 
service, and the executive thereof notified of such draft. 

2. All violation of trade by army followers may be punished by 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 119 

confiscation of stock in trade, and the assignment of offenders to do 
military duty as private soldiers. 

By command of Major-General U. S. Grant. 

John A. Rawlins, A. A.-G. 

As far as actual fighting was concerned, it may be safely 
stated that from June to September, 1862, General Grant's 
Department was particularly quiet. Skirmishes would 
occasionally take place between guerillas and the troops 
occupying small districts, as at Bolivar, on August 30th, 
and at Medon Station of the Mississippi Central Railroad, 
on August 31st. On all these occasions the rebel troops 
were generally worsted, so well had General Grant looked 
after the defences of these posts. 

During the early part of September, 1862, the rebel 
forces in the Southwest began to make a general advance 
upon the Union positions. General Bragg issued an order 
on September 5, 1862, which he dated at Sparta, in the 
most southern part of Alabama, for the purpose of deceiving 
the Union troops as to his actual whereabouts, while, at 
the same time, he was at Chattanooga, Tenn., preparing to 
make a flank movement through East Tennessee and Ken- 
tucky, to the Ohio River. The deceitful order certainly 
misled the commander of the army of the Ohio ; but did 
not impose upon General Grant, nor the officers under his 
command, as cavalry reconnoissances were continually 
being sent out to ascertain the whereabouts of the enemy. 

The rebels soon discovered that General Grant was 
sending troops to re-enforce the army in Kentucky, and to 
prevent him from so doing, a portion of the rebel army in 
the State of Mississippi was detached, to operate against 
bis lines. General Grant had, however, taken care of his 
own position while helping the others, and the results wero 
the glorious victories of Iuka and Corinth. 



120 GENEEAL GEANT 



CHAPTER Xin. 

KTKA. — COEINTH AND THE HATCHIE. 

The careful system of recorinoissance adopted in General 
Grant's army made the commander of the Department 
of West Tennessee and his subordinate general officers 
fully aware of the approach of the rebels upon their lines 
long before the actual attack took place. Even as early 
as September 10th, 1862, it was known that General Sterling 
Price, at the head of a far superior force of rebel troops, 
was marching upon the little camp at Jacinto, Tishamingo 
County, Miss. Orders were, of course, quickly given to 
break up this camp, and take the wagon trains to the de- 
fences at Corinth. The men who were ordered to remain 
behind were thereby compelled to sleep on their arms and 
in the open air for several nights. 

On September 17th, a general advance was ordered by 
General Grant, and at four o'clock on the morning of Sep- 
tember 1 8th the regiments from Corinth and Jacinto were 
pushing towards Iuka, where General Price had con- 
centrated his forces. The march of the Union troops was 
made amidst a drenching rain, and along muddy roads, 
and they advanced upon the place by different routes, the 
force under General Rosecrans, known as the Army of the 
Mississippi, making the advance along the road from 
the south, while that under Generals Grant and Ord ap- 
proached the town from the north, via Burnsville. 

At daybreak, on the morning of September 19th, the 
march was renewed, and the advance of General Hamil- 



A^D HIS CAMPAIGNS. 121 

ton's Division encountered the rebel pickets at Barnett's 
Corners, on the road to Iuka. After a sharp skirmish, 
the pickets were driven six miles towards that town, 
losing slightly in killed and prisoners. The division again 
pushed forward until within two miles of Iuka, where 
they were received with a hot fire of musketry from the 
rebels who were posted on the ridge which commanded 
the country for several miles around. The engagement 
soon became general, on this part of the line, and lasted 
until dark, when the men threw themselves down on 
their arms, to take that rest so needed to enable them to 
renew the struggle on the morrow. The contest had been 
very sanguinary and fierce while it lasted, nearly one-third 
of the Union forces engaged being placed hors de combat. 
During the night the rebel forces under Price evacuated 
the town, and in the morning General Rosecrans's troops 
entered Iuka from the south, and began pushing after the 
flying rebels. Shortly after, the forces under Generals 
Grant and Ord arrived by the northern route. As the in- 
tention of General Grant had been to cut off Price's retreat 
by that road, and as Price had chosen another towards 
the east, this part of the army was not engaged, although 
its position contributed towards forcing the enemy to 
evacuate the place. 

The following extracts from a private letter of a rebel 
to a friend, under date of September 24th, 1862, contain 
matters of interest : 

" "We held peaceable possession of Iuka for one day, and on the 
next -were alarmed by the booming of camion, and were called out to 
spend the evening in battle array in the woods. On the evening of the 
19th, when we supposed we were going back to camp, to rest awhile, 
the sharp crack of musketry on the right of our former lines told us 
that the enemy was much nearer than we imagined. In fact, they had 
almost penetrated the town itself. How on earth, with the woods full 
of our cavalry, they could have approached bo near our lines, is a mys- 
6 



122 GENERAL GKANT 

tery. They had planted a hattery sufficiently near to shell General 
Price's head-quarters, and were cracking away at the Third Brigade 
when the Fourth came up at double-quick, and then, for two hours and 
fifteen minutes, was kept up the most terrific fire of musketry that ever 
dinned my ears. There was one continuous roar of small arms, while 
grape and canister howled in fearful concert above our heads and 
through our ranks. General Little was shot dead early in the action. 
* * It was a terrible struggle, and we lost heavily. All night could be 
heard the groans of the wounded and dying, forming a sequel of horror 
and agony to the deadly struggle, over which night had kindly thrown 
its mantle. Saddest of all, our dead were left unburied, and many of the 
wounded on the battle-field to be taken in charge by the enemy, 

"Finding that the enemy were being re-enforced from the north, and as 
our strength would not justify us in trying another battle, a retreat was 
ordered, and we left the town during the night. The enemy pressed 
our rear the next day, and were only kept off by grape and canister. 

" It grieves me to state that acts of vandalism, disgraceful to any army, 
were, however, perpetrated along the line of retreat, and makes me 
blush to own such men as my countrymen. Corn-fields were laid waste, 
potato patches robbed, barn-yards and smoke-houses despoiled, hog? 
killed, and all kinds of outrages perpetrated in broad daylight and in 
full view of the officers. The advance and retreat were alike disgrace- 
ful, and I have no doubt that women and children along the route will 
cry for the bread which has been rudely taken from them by those who 
should have protected and defended them."* 

The Army of the Mississippi bore the brunt of the fight, 
but the combinations caused the evacuation of the town. 
On the morning of the 20th of September, 1862, General 
Grant sent the following dispatch to the general-in-chief 
at Washington : 

Iuka, MISS., September 20, 1862. 
To Major-General H. TV. Halleck, General-in-Chief: 

General Rosecrans, with Stanley's and Hamilton's Divisions and Mise- 
ner's Cavalry, attacked Price south of this village about two hours before 
dark yesterday, and had a sharp fight until night closed in. General 

* Private letter published in the Montgomery Advertiser, September, 
862. 



A> T D HIS CAMPAIGNS. 123 

Ord was to the north with an armed force of about 5,000 men, and had 
some skirmishing with the rebel pickets. This morning the fight was 
renewed by General Rosecrans, who was nearest to the town; but it 
was found that the enemy had been evacuating during the night, going 
south. Generals Hamilton and Stanley, with cavalry, are in full 
pursuit. 

This will, no doubt, break up the enemy, and possibly force them to 
abandon much of their artillery. The loss on either side, in killed and 
wounded, is from 400 to 500 The enemy's loss in arms, tents, etc., 
will be large. "We have about 250 prisoners. 

I have reliable intelligence that it was Price's intention to move over 
east of the Tennessee. In this he has been thwarted. Among the 
enemy's loss are General Little killed, and General Whitefield wounded. 

1 cannot speak too highly of the energy and skill displayed by General 

Rosecrans in the attack, and of the endurance of the troops. General 

Ord's command showed untiring zeal ; but the direction taken by the 

enemy prevented them from taking the active part they desired, 

Price's force was about 18,000. 

U.S. Grant, Major- General. 

The examination of the field, after the first excitement of 
the battle was over, showed a still more favorable result 
for the Union forces, as may be judged by the following 
dispatch : 

Head-Quarters, Corinth, September 22, 1862. 

Major-General Halleck, General-in- Chief : 

In my dispatch of the 20th our loss was over estimated, and the 

rebel loss under estimated. We found two hundred and sixty-one of 

them dead upon the field, while our loss in killed will be less than one 

hundred. 

U. S. Grant, Major- General. 

General Grant, on the same day as he sent the above 
dispatch, issued the following order, complimenting his 
officers and men upon their bravery, not forgetting those 
who fell on that occasion : — 

Head-Quarters, Department of West Tennessee, ) 
Corinth, September 22. 1862. f 

[General Field Orders, Ko. 1.] 
The General Commanding takes great pleasure in congratulating the 



124 GENERAL GRANT 

two wings of the army, commanded respectively by Major-General Ord 
and Major-General Eosecrans, upon the energy, alacrity, and bravery 
displayed by them on the 19th and 20th inst., in their movement 
against the enemy at Iuka. Although the enemy was in numbers re- 
puted far greater than their own, nothing was evinced by the troops 
but a burning desire to meet him, whatever his numbers, and however 
strong his position. 

With such a disposition as was manifested by the troops on this 
occasion, their commanders need never fear defeat against any thing but 
overwhelming numbers. 

While it was the fortune of the command of General Rosecrans, on 
the evening of the 19th inst., to engage the enemy in a most spirited 
fight for more than two hours, driving him with great loss from his 
position, and winning for themselves fresh laurels, the command of 
General Ord is entitled to equal credit for their efforts in trying to reach 
the enemy, and in diverting his attention. 

And while congratulating the noble living, it is meet to offer our condolence 
to the friends of the heroic dead, who offered their lives a sacrifice in defence 
of constitutional liberty, and in their fall rendered memorable the field of 
Iuka. 

Ry command of Major-General U. S. Grant. 

John A. Rawlins, A. A.-G. 

General Bragg' s forces were all this time pushing forward 
towards the Ohio River, and it became necessary, to enable 
General Grant to have full control over his department, 
that he should move his head-quarters to a more central 
position. He therefore chose Jackson, Tennessee, for that 
purpose ; placing the commander of the Army of the Mis- 
sissippi in local command at Corinth. 

The rebel forces which had retreated from Iuka, were 
next concentrated near Ripley, Tippah County, Missis- 
sippi, and southwest of Corinth, at which point they were 
joined by those under Generals Van Dorn and Lovell. It 
appears that Price's forces, in retreating from Iuka, coun- 
termarched at a point several miles south of the Union 
position, crossed the Mobile and Ohio Railroad in the 
vicinity of Baldwyn, Tupello, etc., and were thus enabled to 



i 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 125 

form a junction with the troops under the before mention 
ed Generals, and comprising all the available rebel forces 
in North Mississippi. The intention of the enemy was to 
retake Corinth at all hazards, or at least to break the 
Union line of communications, and force a retreat. 

General Grant being duly advised of these facts, so ar- 
ranged his forces that if the rebels were driven from Cor- 
inth — and he had not a doubt but that they would be — 
they should not be able to escape without a very severe 
punishment. 

Cavalry scouts were sent out in all directions and dem 
onstrated the fact that the rebels were on October 1st, 1862, 
moving from Ripley, via Buckersville, upon Corinth, while 
the main army was at Pocahontas. The question then 
was, where did they intend to strike the principal blow, 
as they were situated in such' a position that they could at 
tack with equal ease either of the posts at Bethel, Bolivar, 
Corinth, or Jackson. In fact, they held the centre of the 
base of the irregular triangle which had Jackson for its 
apex and Corinth for its right hand corner. 

General Grant, however, was master of the situation, 
and to him it mattered little at what point the rebels 
struck, as he could move his forces to support the position 
attacked — so well had he arranged them within reasona- 
ble reach of each other. General Ord held the position at 
Bolivar, General Hurlbut was stationed nearer Pocahon- 
tas, General Rosecrans was at Corinth, and General Grant 
at Jackson. It will be seen that the rebels were hemmed 
in except on the south. 

On the 4th of October, the enemy made a determined 
and vigorous attack upon the works at Corinth, and tho 
most obstinate fighting ensued. General Grant was in con- 
stant telegraph communication with General Rosecrans, 
during the attack, and also with his other generals. He 



126 GENERAL GRANT 

was enabled to move his forces knowingly so as to meet 
the movements made by the enemy. 

The struggle at Corinth, was a fierce and sanguinary 
one, and bravely did the garrison defend the position dur- 
ing the morning of the 4th. By noon the battle was end 
ed, and the enemy were in full retreat from the place. 
The rebels had even forced their way into the town, and 
severe fighting took place in the streets, but in the end they 
were driven oat of Corinth, and their broken fragments 
chased into the woods. 

The victory had, however, cost the Union army dearly 
as may be judged from the following brief dispatch from 
General Grant to the general-in-chief : 

Grant's Head-Qctarters, t 

Jackson, Tenn., October 5, — 8 a. m. $ 
To Major-General H. "W. Haleck, General-in- Chief United States Army : 

Yesterday the rebels under Price, Van Dorn, and Lovell were repulsed 
from their attack on Corinth with great slaughter. 

The enemy are in full retreat, leaving their dead and wounded on the 
field. 

Rosecrans telegraphs that the loss is serious on our side, particularly 
in officers, but bears no comparison with that of the enemy. 

General Hackleman fell while gallantly leading his brigade. 

General Oglesby is dangerously wounded. 

General McPherson, with his command, reached Corinth yesterday. 

General Rosecrans pursued the retreating enemy this morning, and, 
should they attempt to move towards Bolivar, will follow to that place. 

General Hurlbut is at the Hatchie River with five or six thousand 
men, and is no doubt with the pursuing columm. 

From seven hundred to a thousand prisoners, besides the wounded, 
are left in our hands. 

TJ. S. Grant, Major- General Commanding. 

As stated in the above dispatch, General Rosecrans 
chased the enemy, on the morning of the 5th of October, 
aud pushed them towards the Hatchie River. General 
Hurlbut, who had moved forward to that position along 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 127 

the line of railroad from Grand Junction, had already on 
the previous day driven in the rebel videttes, but his ad- 
vance had been somewhat disputed during the night. Gen- 
eral Hurlbut was, on the morning of October 5th, joined by 
General Ord's forces from Bolivar. General Orel assumed 
command ; but finding General Hurlbut had made excel- 
lent arrangements for the advance, he followed out the 
same plan. The road, narrow and winding, through 
swamp and jungle, and over precipitous ridges, across 
which at times the guns were with great labor dragged by 
hand, made the advance more than ordinarily dangerous 
in the face of the enemy, especially as the retreating forces 
from Corinth were likely soon to be joined with the others 
in the front. The rebels made use of every advantage the 
country gave them, using the swamps and jungles for their 
infantry, and the ridges for their artillery ; but so valor- 
ous was the attack of the forces under Generals Ord and 
Hurlbut, that the enemy was driven for five miles to, and 
across the Hatchie, and up the heights beyond. 

The following dispatch from General Grant, announces 
the victory on the Hatchie : 

Grant's Head-Quarters, > 

Jackson, Tenn., October 5, 1862. ) 

To Major-General H. W. Halleck, General-in-Chief United States Army : 

General Ord, who followed General Hurlbut, met the enemy to-day 
on the south side of the Hatchie, as I understand from a dispatch, and 
drove them across the stream, and got possession of the heights with 
our troops. 

General Ord took two batteries and about two hundred prisoners. 

A large portion of General Eosecrans's forces were at Chevalla. 

At this distance every thing looks most favorable, and I cannot see 
how the enemy are to escape without losing every thing but their small 
arms. 

/ have strained every thing to take into the fight an adequate force, and 
to get them to the right place. 

TJ. S. Grant, Major- General Commanding. 



128 GENERAL GE HUT 

The union of General M cPherson's forces with those at 
Corinth, enabled General Rosecrans to continue vigorously 
the pursuit of that part of the enemy who had attached his 
position at that place, and at about noon on the 6th of 
October General Grant was enabled to send the following 
dispatch, which sets forth the entire rout of the rebel forces 

on every side: 

Head-Quarters op General Grant, ) 
Jackson, Tenn., 12.20 p. m., October 6, 1862. ) 
To Major-General Halleck, General-in-Chief: 

Generals Ord and Ilurlbut came upon the enemy yesterday, and 
General Hurlbut having driven in small bodies of the rebels the day 
before, after seven hours hard fighting, drove the enemy five miles back 
across the Hatchie towards Corinth, capturing two batteries, about 300 
prisoners, and many small arms. 

I immediately apprised General Rosecrans of these facts, and directed 
him to urge on the good work. The following dispatch has just been 
received from him : 

Chevalla, October 6, 1862. 
To Major-General Grant: 

The enemy is totally routed, throwing every thing away. We are 

following sharply. 

"W. S. Rosecrans, Major- General. 

Under previous instructions, General Hurlbut is also following. 
General McPherson is in the lead of General Rosecrans's column. The 
rebel General Martin is said to be killed. 

U. S. Grant, Major- General Commanding. 

The repulse of the rebels was really disastrous to them. 
The accounts published in the southern newspapers plainly 
manifest that their loss had been heavy, and that they 
failed in accomplishing the object of their movement — the 
capture of Corinth. But the same journals endeavored to 
console themselves and the people with the idea that 
General Grant had, at least, been prevented from sending 
re-enforcements to the aid of General Buell, who was then 
about to engage the rebel forces under General Bragg. 

The following is the congratulatory order of General 
Grant to his troops relative to this campaign : 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 129 

Head- Quarters, Department of West Tenn., | 
Jackson, Tenn., October 7, 1862. ) 

[General Orders, No. 88.] 

It is with heartfelt gratitude the General Commanding congratulates 
the armies of the West for another great victory won by them on the 
3d, 4th, and 5th instants, over the combined armies of Van Dorn, Price, 
and Lovell. 

The enemy chose his own time and place of attack, and knowing the 
troops of the West as he does, and with great facilities for knowing 
their numbers, never would have made the attempt except with a 
superior force numerically. But for the undaunted bravery of officers and 
soldiers, who have yet to learn defeat, the efforts of the enemy must have 
proven successful. 

Whilst one division of the army, under Major-General Rosecrans, 
was resisting and repelling the onslaught of the rebel hosts at Corinth, 
another, from Bolivar, under Major-General Hurlbut, was marching upon 
the enemy's rear, driving in their pickets and cavalry, and attracting 
the attention of a large force of infantry and artillery. On the following 
day, under Major-General Ord, these forces advanced with unsurpassed 
gallantry, driving the enemy back across the Hatchie, over ground 
where it is almost incredible that a superior force should be driven by 
an inferior, capturing two of the batteries (eight guns), many hundred 
small arms, and several hundred prisoners. 

To those two divisions of the army all praise is due, and will be 
awarded by a grateful country. 

Between them there should be, and I trust are, the warmest bonds of 
brotherhood. Each was risking life in the same cause, and, on this 
occasion, risking it also to save and assist the other. No troops could 
do more than these separate armies. Each did all possible for it to do 
in the places assigned it. 

As in all great battles, so in this, it becomes our fate to mourn the 
loss of many brave and faithful officers and soldiers, who have given 
up their lives as a sacrifice for a great principle. The nation mourns 
for them. 

By command of Major-General U. S. Grant. 

John A. Rawlins, A. A.-G. 

President Lincoln, when be had received the intelligence 
from General Grant announcing the victories at Corinth 
and on the Hatchie, dispatched to him the following con- 
gratulations and inquiries : 



130 GENEKAL GKAXT 

"Washington, D. C, October 8, 1862. 
Major-General Grant : 

I congratulate you and all concerned in your recent battles and victo- 
ries. How does it all sum up ? I especially regret the death of Gen- 
eral Ilackleman, and am very anxious to know the condition of General 
Oglesby, who is an intimate personal friend. 

A. Lincoln. 

The rebel forces of General Bragg were also by this time 
in full retreat from the Ohio river, and were being pursued 
by the Army of the Ohio. 

Skirmishes with guerillas occurred occasionally within 
General Grant's lines ; but otherwise this department was, 
by this time, once more reduced to quietness. 

On the 16th of October, 1862, General Grant's Depart- 
ment was designated as the Department of the Tennessee, 
and was further extended so as to embrace the State of 
Mississippi as far as Vicksburg. General Rosecrans was 
shc/tly after relieved of his command under General Grant, 
and made commander of the Army of the Ohio in the place 
of General Buell. The combined troops under General 
Grant were now known as the Thirteenth Army Corps. 

The victories of General Grant's forces were supposed 
in Washington to have had a beneficial effect upon the 
people of Tennessee ; and to enable them to resume their 
own government under the auspices of the United States, 
the following document was sent to General Grant by the 
hands of the person therein named : 

Executive Mansion, "Washington, October 21, 1862. 
Major-General Grant, Governor Johnson, and all having Military, 

Naval, and Civil Authority under the United States within the State of 

Tennessee: 

The bearer of this, Thomas R. Smith, a citizen of Tennessee, goes to 
that State, seeking to have such of the people thereof as desire to avoid 
the unsatisfactory prospect before them, and to have peace again upon 
the old terms under the Constitution of the United States, to manifest 
such desire by elections of members to the Congress of the United 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 131 

States particularly, and perhaps a Legislature, State Officers, and a 
United States Senator friendly to their object. I shall be glad for you 
and each of you to aid him, and all others acting for this object, as much 
as possible. In all available ways give the people a chance to express 
their wishes at tbese elections. Follow law, and forms of law, as far 
as convenient ; but, at all events, get the expression of the largest 
number of the people possible. All see how much such action will 
connect with and affect the proclamation of September 22d. Of course, 
the men elected should be gentlemen of character, willing to swear 
support to the Constitution as of old, and known to be above reasonable 
suspicion of duplicity. 

Tours, very respectfully, 

A. Lincoln. 

To prevent the intention of the foregoing from being 
carried out, General Bragg marched his forces to within 
striking distance of the State Capital at Nashville. 



132 GENEBAL GEANT 



CHAPTER XIV. 

THE DEPARTMENT OF THE TENNESSEE. — DISCIPLINE. 

TEADE. 

Genebal Grant assumed the command of his new 
department on the 25th day of October, 1862, and issued 
the following orders : 

Head-Quarters, Department op the Tennessee, j 
Jackson, Tenn., October 25, 1862. J 

[General Orders, No. 1.] 

I. In* compliance with General Orders, No. 159, A. G. 0., "War 
Department, of date October 16th, 1862, the undersigned hereby as- 
sumes command of the Department of the Tennessee, which includes 
Cairo, Fort Henry and Fort Donelson, Northern Mississippi, and the 
portions of Kentucky and Tennessee west of the Tennessee river. 

II. Head-quarters of the Department of the Tennessee will remain, 
until further orders, at Jackson, Tennossee. 

III. All orders of the District of "West Tennessee will continue in 
force in the Department. 

U. S. Grant, Major- General Commanding. 

Head-Quarters, Department of the Tennessee, ) 
Jackson, Tenn., October 26, 1862. \ 

[General Orders, No. 2.] 

I. The geographical divisions designated in General Orders, No. 83, 
from Head-quarters District of West Tennessee, dated September 24th, 
18t"2, will hereafter be known as districts. The First Division will 
constitute the " District of Memphis," Major-General W. T. Sherman 
commanding; the Second Division, the "District of Jackson," com- 
manded by Major-General S. A. Hurlbut; the Third Division, the 
"District of Corinth," Brigadier-General C. S. Hamilton commanding; 
the Fourth Division, the " District of Columbus," commanded by Briga- 
dier-General T A.. Davies. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 



133 



II. The army heretofore known as the "Army of the Mississippi," 
being now divided and in different departments, will be continued as a 
separate army. 

III. Until army corps are formed, there will be no distinction, 
known, except those of departments, districts, divisions, posts, brigades, 
regiments and companies 

By command of Major-General U. S. Grant. 

John A. Rawlins, A. A.- G. 

As General Grant was now to have heavy work 
before him, it became necessary that he should also have 
his forces thoroughly well organized, and in this matter he 
determined to exercise his personal supervision. He be- 
gan by rooting out, as far as possible, all guerilla bodies in 
his department, and in the affair at Clarkson his forces were 
very successful. 

The following order shows that it was the intention 
during the approaching campaign to move light, and be- 
spoke great activity with the command : 

Head-Quarters, Department op the Tennessee, ) 
Jackson, Tenn., November 1, 1862. J 

[ General Orders, No. 3.] 

I. — General Orders, No. 160, from the Adjutant-General's office, having 
been received at head-quarters, is published for the information of all 
concerned : 
[General Orders, No. 160.] 

The following regulations are established for army trains and baggage* 

1. There will be allied— 

For head-quarters wain of an army corps, four wagons; of a division 
or brigade, three ; of a full infantry regiment, six ; and of a light artil- 
lery battery or squadron of cavalry, three. 

In no case will this allowance be exceeded, but always proportionably 
reduced, according to the officers and men actually present. All surplus 
wagons will be turned over to the Chief Quartermaster, to be organized 
under direction of the commanding Generals, into supply trains, or sent 
to the nearest depot. 

The requisite supply trains, their size depending upon the state of the 
roads and character of the campaign, will be organized by the Chief 



134 GENERAL GRANT 

Quartermaster, with the approval of the commanding generals, subject 
to the control of the War Department. 

2. The wagons allowed to a regiment, battery, or squadron, must, 
carry nothing but forage for the teams, cooking utensils, and rations for 
the troops, hospital stores, and officers' baggage. One wagon to each 
regiment will transport exclusively hospital suflfclies, under direction of 
the regimental surgeon; the one for regimental head-quarters will 
carry the grain for the officers' horses, and the three allowed for each 
battery or squadron will be at least half loaded with the grain for their 
own teams. 

Stores in bulk and ammunition will be carried in the regular or 
special supply trains. 

3. In active campaign, troops must be prepared to bivouac on the 
march, the allowance of tents being limited, as follows : 

For the head-quarters of au army corps, division, or brigade, one wall 
tent to the commanding General, and one to every two officers of 
his staff. 

For the Colonel, Field and Staff of a full regiment, three wall tents; 
and for every other commissioned officer, one shelter tent each. 

For every two non-commissioned officers, soldiers, officers' servants, 
and authorized camp followers, one shelter tent. 

One hospital tent will be allowed for office purposes, at corps head 
quarters, and one wall tent at those of a division or brigade. All tents 
beyond this allowance will be left in depot. 

4. Officers' baggage will be limited to blankets, one small valise or 
carpet bag and a moderate mess-kit. The men will carry their own 
blankets and shelter tents, and reduce the contents of their knapsacks 
as much as possible. 

The Depot Quartermaster will provide storage for a reasonable amount 
of officers' surplus baggage and the extra clothMfc and knapsacks of 
the men. 

5. Hospital tents are for the sick and -wounded, and except those 
allowed for army corps head-quarters, must not be diverted from their 
proper use. 

6. Commanding officers will be held responsible for the strict enforce- 
ment of these regulations, especially the reduction of officers' baggage 
within their respective commands. 

7. On all marches, Quartermasters, under the orders of their com- 
manding officers, will accompany and conduct their trains in a way not 
to obstruct the movement of troops. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 135 

8. All Quartermasters and Commissaries will personally attend 
to the reception and issue of supplies for their commands, and 
will keep themselves informed of the condition of the depot, roads, and 
other communications. 

9. All Quartermasters and Commissaries will report, by letter, on the 
first of every month, to the chiefs of their respective departments, at 
Washington, D. C, their station, and generally the duty on which they 
have been engaged during the preceding month. 

By command of Major-General Halleck. 

(Signed) L. Thomas, Adjutant General. 

II. District Commanders will immediately cause an inspection of their 
command, with the view to a strict compliance of the above order, and 
see that all tents and transportation in excess of allowance are turned 
over to the Quartermaster ; that all extra clothing and knapsacks of en- 
listed men are delivered for storage as provided ; that the baggage of 
officers does not exceed the limitation prescribed ; and that all hospital 
tents not in use for the sick and wounded are turned over to the Quarter- 
master at once. 

III. Where there is a deficiency of clothing or tents, as allowed by 
regulations and said order, proper requisitions will be made on the 
Chief Quartermaster of the Department, Captain C. A. Reynolds, for 
same. 

IV. The requirements of this order must be complied with without 
delay, and report of such compliance promptly made to these head-quar- 
ters. 

By command of Major-General U. S. Grant. 

John A. Rawlins, A. A.-G. 

About the latter end of October, 1862, a body of cav- 
alry belonging to the army of General Grant, and under 
the command of Colonel [since Brigadier General] A. L. 
Lee, started on a reconnoissance below Ripley, Missis- 
sippi, which place was captured and held for twenty-four 
hours, as was also the town of Orizaba. Colonel Lee re- 
turned to Grand Junction on November 2d, with several 
prisoners. 

On the evening of the 4th of November, General Grant 
removed his head-quarters to La Grange, west of Grand 



136 GENERAL GRANT 

Junction, occupying that place with a heavy body of troops, 
thereby out-generalling the rebels, who were concentrating 
their forces in the vicinity of Ripley, a long distance far- 
ther east. 

Colonel Lee again made a successful reconnoissance 
with about fifteen hundred cavalry to Hudsonville, Missis- 
sippi. This was but the beginning of a grand reconnois- 
sance, as follows : 

On November 8th, General Grant ordered a strong force, 
consisting of two divisions of Infantry and Artillery and 
part of a cavalry division, upon a special reconnoissance. 
The cavalry was under the command of Colonel Lee, and 
the infantry under General McPherson. This force started 
from La Grange, the cavalry taking the lead. At Lamar, 
the infantry halted, while the cavalry pushed toward 
Hudsonville. On the road Colonel Lee encountei^ed a 
body of rebel cavalry, which he engaged on the flank with 
one half of his force, while the other half proceeded to 
Hudsonville. After routing the cavalry, killing sixteen 
and capturing one hundred and thirty-four, with their horses 
and arms, Colonel Lee joined the remainder of his command 
at Hudsonville, and then returned to La Grange. 

The following is General Grant's brief but complimen- 
tary dispatch to the General-in-Chief in relation to this 
movement : 

La Grange, Nov. 11, 1862, 10:30 p. m. 
Major-General Halleck, Gene> al-in- Chief: 

One hundred and thirty-four prisoners were taken by Colonel Lee, 
of the Seventh Kansas Cavalry, and sixteen rebels killed. Our loss is 
two wounded. Colonel Lee is one of our best cavalry officers. I 
earnestly recommend him for promotion. 

(Signed) TJ. S. Grant. 

The information gained by this reconnoissance was as 
follows : 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 137 

General Lovell, who had been in command of the rebel 
forces north of Holly Springs, Mississippi, had fallen back 
through that place on November 2d ; but while retreating, 
was met on November 5th by General Pemberton, who 
had come up from the State Capital — Jackson. General 
Lovell was ordered back to his old post, which he held, 
with two divisions, on the 8th of November. Price, with 
twelve thousand men, was seven miles below Holly Springs, 
on the Salem road ; and twenty-two miles further south, at 
Abbeville, was a rebel conscript camp of about thirteen 
thousand men. 

Some complaints having been made by the farmers in 
the vicinity, of the conduct of the rebel forces, while pass- 
ing through their country, General Grant issued the fol- 
lowing order, to prevent his troops from falling into the 
like disgraceful system of plunder : 

Head-Quarters, Department of the Tennessee, ) 
Lagrange, Tenn., November 9, 1862. J 

[Special Field Orders, No. 2.] 

Hereinafter stoppage will be made on muster and pay rolls against di- 
visions for the full amount of depredations committed by any member or 
members of the division, unless the act can be traced either to the individ- 
uals committing them, or to the company, regiment, or brigade to which 
the offenders belong. 

In all cases the punishment will be assessed to the smallest organiza- 
tion containing the guilty parties. 

Confiscation acts were never intended to be executed by soldiers ; and if they 
were, the general government should have full benefit of all property of 
which individuals are deprived. A stoppage of pay against offenders 
will effect this end, and it is to be hoped will correct this growing eviL 

It is not only the duty of commissioned officers to correct this evil, but of 
all good men in the ranks to report every violation; and it is determined 
now that they shall have a pecuniary interest in doing so. 

Assessments will also be made against commissioned officers, in the 
proportion of their pay proper. 

Where offences of the nature contemplated in this order are traced to 



13S GENERAL GRANT 

individuals, they will be summarily punished to the full extent formerly 
given to garrison court-martials, or be arrested and tried by a general 
court-martial, according to the enormity of the offence, and the severest 
penalties provided imposed and executed. 

This order will be read on parade, before each regiment and detach- 
ment, for three suocessive evenings. 

By order of Major-General U. S. Grant. 

By this means it was hoped that the evil would be rem- 
edied, or at least greatly ameliorated, and it was also by 
this strict discipline that General Grant was enabled to 
gather around him one of the finest working armies in the 
United States. 

The change in the Department naturally led to a remod- 
elling of the commander's staff, the officers of which were 
announced as folloAvs : 

Head-Quarters, Thirteenth Army Corps, ) 
Department of the Tennessee, > 
Lagrange, Tenn., November 11, 1362. ) 
[General Orders, No. 6.] 

I. The following officers are announced as the staff and staff corps of 
this department, and will be recognized and obeyed accordingly ; — 

Brigadier-General J. D. Webster, Superintendent Military Railroads. 

Lieutenant-Colonel John A. Rawlins, Assistant Adjutant-General and 
Chief of Staff. 

Colonel T. Lyle Dickey, Chief of Cavalry. 

Colonel William S. Hillyer, Aide-de-Camp and Provost-Marshal General 

Colonel Clark B. Lagow, Aide-de-Camp and Acting Inspector-General. 

Colonel George P. Ihrie, Aide-de-Camp and Acting Inspector-GeneraL 

Colonel John Riggin, Jr., Aide-de-Camp and Superintendent of Mili- 
tary Telegraphs. 

Colonel George G. Pride, Chief Engineer of Military Railroads. 

Lieutenant-Colonel W. L. Duff, Chief of Artiilery. 

Lieutenant-Colonel J. P. Hawkins, Chief of Subsistence Department 

Lieutenant-Colonel C. A. Reynolds, Chief of Quartermaster's Depart- 
ment. 

Surgeon Horace R. Wirtz, Chief of Medical Department. 

Major William R. Rowley, Aide-de-Camp and Mustering Officer. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 139 

CaptmD T. S. Bowers, Aide-de-Camp. 

Captain P. E. Prime, Chief of Engineers. 

Lieutenant James II. "Wilson, Chief of Topographical Engineers. 

Lieutenant S. C. Lyford, Chief of Ordnance Department. 

By command of Major-General U. S. Grant. 

John A. Rawlins, A. A.-G. 

As it was found difficult to reduce the baggage and 
wagon trains of the army at a moment's notice, especially 
as the lighter material to be used in the place of the old 
fashioned tents had not been supplied to the troops, and as 
it was also necessary to make some provision for the cotton 
seized from the rebels, the following order was issued to 
remedy the evil as much as possible : 

Chief Quartermaster's Office, ) 
Lagrange, Tenn., November 13, 1862. ) 

1. In compliance with General Orders, No. 160, from the "War 
Department, and of General Orders, No. 3, from Head-Quarters, 
Department of the Tennessee, all officers of the Quartermaster's Depart- 
ment are required to reduce their means of transportation as much as 
possible until shelter tents are provided, when the transportation will 
be reduced in compliance with the above orders. 

2. All surplus teams and wagons in charge of regimental quarter- 
masters will be transferred to division quartermasters, who are hereby 
required to organize a supply train of from fifty to one hundred teams 
as the service of their division may require, and any teams in excess of 
the demands for division supply trains will be turned over to euch 
officer as may be designated to take charge of the general supply train. 

3. All division and brigade quartermasters are required to report 
immediately by letter their address and the division or brigade to which 
they belong, and the name of its commander to the Chief Quartermaster 
of the department; if an acting assistant quartermaster, they will report 
in addition the regiment to which they are attached. 

4. Brigade quartermasters will not be required to have supply trains, 
as the division quartermaster will issue direct to regiments. Division, 
brigade, and regimental quartermasters are required to remain in camp 
with their respective commands. The only quartermasters allowed to 
take quarters or offices in towns which the army may occupy are the 
depot and post quartermasters ; and no quarters will be occupied by any 



140 GEIfERAL GRANT 

officer whatsoever, unless duly assigned thereto by the post quarter 
master, under the direction of the Chief Quartermaster. 

5. All cotton coming into the hands of quartermasters, seized south 
of Jackson, Tenn., will be sent to that point, and invoiced to Captain G. 
L. Fort, A. Q. M., or the post quartermaster, giving the name and resi- 
dence of the parties from -whom it was taken. And all cotton seized 
north of that place will be shipped to Captain Thomas O'Brien, A. Q. M., 
or the post quartermaster, at Columbus, Ky. The quartermasters above 
mentioned will hold such cotton untii ordered to sell the same at public 
auction by the General Commanding or the Chief Quartermaster of the 
department. 

6. All regimental and other quartermasters are required to show that 
they have, sent the monthly papers and returns prescribed by regula- 
tions and existing orders to the Quartermaster-General and the proper 
Auditor of the Treasury at "Washington, before they can receive funds 
for the payment of extra duty men. Extra duty rolls should havo 
attached to the certificate, " and that I have forwarded a copy of the 
above roll to the Quartermaster-General at Washington." Estimates 
for funds should be approved by the Division General. 

By command of Major-General U. S. Grant. 

Charles A. Reynolds, Chief Quartermaster. 

The negro refugees at this time became a source of 
much anxiety, as well as an incubus on the army. Several 
of these men had played the parts of spies at the instiga- 
tion of their rebel masters, by entering the Union linee 
under the pretence of being escaped slaves, and, after gain- 
ing what information they could, had made their way 
back to the rebel lines with the intelligence. To remedy 
this evil a special camp was organized for their accommo 
dation and protection, and was placed under the chargi 
of a responsible person. The following order located th< 
camp and appointed the commander thereof: 

Head-Quarters, 13th Army Corps, ) 
Department of the Tennessee, V 
Lagrange, Tenn., Nov. 14. ) 
[Special Field Orlers, No. 4.] 

1. Chaplain J Eaton, Jr., of the 27th Regiment Ohio Infantry Vol 



AKD HIS CAMPAIGNS. 



141 



unteers, is hereby appointed to take charge of all fugitive slaves that 
are now. or may from time to time come within the military lines of the 
advancing army in this vicinity, not employed and registered in accor- 
dance with General Orders, No. 72, from Head-quarters District of West 
Tennessee, and will open a camp for them at Grand Junction, where 
they will be suitably cared for and organized into companies and set to 
work, picking, ginning, and baling all cotton now outstanding in fields. 
2. Commanding officers of troops will send all fugitives that come 
within the lines, together with such teams, cooking utensils and other 
baggage as they may bring with them, to Chaplain J. Eaton, Jr., at Grand 

Junction. , 

3 One regiment of infantry from Brigadier-General McArtnurs 
division will be temporarily detailed as guard in charge of such contra- 
bands, and the Surgeons of said regiment will be charged with the caro 

of the sick. 

4. Commissaries of subsistence will issue on the requisitions of Chap- 
lain J Eaton, Jr., omitting the coffee rations, and substituting rye. 

By order of Major-General U. S. Grant. 

John A. Rawlins, A. A.-G. 

The Special Order No. 2, relative to plundering, began 
to have some effect in finding out who were the guilty 
parties engaged in such nefarious practices ; and General 
Grant being fully determined to have his orders obeyed, 
not only in the spirit, but to the letter, assessed the gmlty 
regiment for the whole amount of the injury inflicted, and 
punished the officers for neglect of duty. 

The following order will explain Ids method of cor- 
recting the evil: — 

Head-Quarters 13th Army Corps, 

Department of the Tennessee, 

La Grange, Tenn., Nov. 16, 1S62. 

[Special Field Orders, No. 6.] 

The facts having been officially reported to the Major-General Com- 
manding, that a portion of the Twentieth Regiment Illinois Infantry 
Volunteers did, on the night of the 1th of November inst, at Jackson, 
Tennessee, break into the store of G. W. Graham & Co., and take there- 
from goods to the value of §841.40, the property of said Graham & Co., 



142 GENERAL GRANT 

and did cut the tent of R. B. Kent and N. A. Bass, and take therefrom 
goods to the value of $345, the property of said Kent and Bass, and 
burn and destroy the tent and poles, also the property of said Kent and 
Bass, of the value of $56.26, — all of which damages amount to the sum 
of $1,242.66 ; and it further appearing from said report that Capt. C. L. 
Page, Co. D ; Capt. J. M. North, Co. E ; Capt. G. "W. Kennard, Co. I ; 
Lieutenants Harry King, Co. B; "William Seas, Co. C; John Edmonston, 
Co. E; David Wadsworth, Co. F; J. Bailey, Co. F; Victor H. Stevens, 
Co. H ; R. M. Evans, Co. I ; Charles Taylor, Co. I, of said regiment, 
were absent from their commands at the time of the perpetration of 
these outrages, in violation of orders, and without proper cause, when 
they should have been present ; and also that Captain Orton Frisbee, pf 
Co. H, acting in the capacity of Major, and Captain John Tunison, of Co. 
G, the senior Captain, immediately after the commission of these depre- 
dations, did not exercise their authority to ferret out the men guilty of 
the offences, but that, on the contrary, Captain Tunison interposed to 
prevent search and discovery of the parties really guilty, and that Cap- 
tain Frisbee, after the commission of the said depredations, being in com- 
mand of the regiment, remained behind twenty-four hours after the 
regiment marched, and the names of the individual parties guilty not 
having been disclosed, it is therefore ordered — 

1. That the said sum of $1,242.66 be assessed against said regiment 
and the officers hereinbefore named, excepting such enlisted men as 
were at the time sick in the hospital or absent with proper authority ; 
that the same be charged against them on . the proper muster and pay 
rolls, and the amount each is to pay noted opposite his name thereon, — 
the officers to be assessed pro rata with the men on the amount of their 
pay proper ; and that the sum so collected be paid by the command- 
ing oTfijar of the regiment to the parties entitled to the same. 

2. That Captain Orton Frisbee and Captain John Tunison of the 
Twentieth Regiment Illinois Infantry Volunteers, for wilful neglect of 
duty and violation of orders, are hereby mustered out of tho service of 
the United States, to take effect this day. 

By order of Major-General U. S. GRANT. 

John A. Rawlins, A. A.-G. 

The subject of trade in the insurrectionary States after 
they had again come within the Union lines, became a mat- 
ter of much importance, and the Treasury Department had 
laid down certain rules for the guidance of those engaged 



AXD HIS CAMPAIGNS. 143 

in such traffic. These rules were, however, very deficient 
in many cases ; and it also required certain stringent mili- 
tary regulations to be enforced to prevent the trade be- 
coming a source of aid and comfort to the enemy. The 
following order was therefore issued, defining such trade 
within the lines of the Department of the Tennessee : 

Headquarters 13tii Army Corps, 

Department of the Tennessee, 

Lagrange, Tenn., November 19, 1862. 

[General Orders, No. 8.] 

I. la addition to permits from the Treasury Department, all persons 
are required to have a permit from the local Provost-Marshal at the post 
before purchasing cotton or other Southern products in this Department, 
and shipping the same North. 

II. It will be regarded as evidence of disloyalty for persons to go beyond 
the lines of the army to purchase cotton or other products ; and all contracts 
made for such articles in advance of the army, or for cotton in the field, are 
null and void, and all persons so offending will be expelled from the department. 

III. Freight agents on military railroads will report daily to the Post 
Provost-Marshal all cotton or other private property shipped by them; 
and when shipments are made by persons who have not the proper per- 
mits, notice will be given by telegraph, to the Provost-Marshal at Co- 
lumbus, Ky., who will seize the goods for the benefit of the Government. 

IV. The Federal army being now in the occupancy of "West Tennes- 
see to the Mississippi line, and it being no part of the policy of the 
Government to oppress, or cause unnecessary suffering to those who are not 
in active rebellion, hereafter, until otherwise directed, licenses will be 
granted by District Commanders to loyal persons, at all military stations 
within the department, to keep for sale, subject to the Treasury regula- 
tions, such articles as are of prime necessity for families, and sell the 
same to all citizens who have taken, or may voluntarily take the oath of 
allegiance, and who have permits from the Provost-Marshal, obtained under 
oath, that all goods to be purchased are for their own and for their fami- 
ly's use, and that no part thereof is for sale or for the use of any person 
other than those named in the permit. Permits so given will be good 
until countermanded ; and all violations of trading permits will be pun- 
ished by the forfeiture of the permit, fine and imprisonment, at the dis- 
cretion of a military commission. 

V. Particular attention is called to existing orders prohibiting the em- 



144 GENERAL GEANT 

ployment or use of Government teams for hauling private property. All 
cotton brought to stations or places for shipment in this department by 
Government teams will be seized by the Quartermaster's Department for 
the benefit of the Government, and persons claiming such property ex- 
pelled from the Department. It is made the duty of all officers, and 
especially of local Provost- Marshals, to see that this order is rigidly en- 
forced. 

By command of Major-General U. S. Grant. 

John A. Rawlings, A. A.-G. 

But, despite the above orders, the Jewish camp followers 
were found to be continually engaged in an illegal train c ; 
whereupon General Grant expelled them all from his de- 
partment. The following is his order of expulsion : 

Head-Quarters, Department of the Tennessee, ) 
Oxford, Miss., Dec. 17, 1862. f 

[General Orders, No. 11.] 

The Jews, as a class, violating every regulation of trade established 
by the Treasury Department, also department orders, are hereby ex- 
pelled from the department within twenty-four hours from the receipt of 
this order by post commanders. They will see that all this class of 
people are furnished with passes and required to leave ; and any one re- 
turning after such notification will be arrested and held in confinement 
until an opportunity occurs of sending them out as prisoners, unless 
furnished with permits from these head-quarters. No passes will be 
given these people to visit head-quarters for the purpose of making per- 
sonal application for trade permits.* 

By order of Major-General Grant. 

An anecdote is told of General Grant, relative to his re- 
fusal to engage in or authorize any movements for the 
reopening of trade with the rebellious States. On one oc- 
casion, especially, after his protests and orders suppressing 
such traffic, he was eagerly entreated by the agents of the 
Treasury Department to authorize some system of trada 

* This order was afterwards moderated and the Jews allowed to 
trade under certain regulations. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 145 

For a long time he refused, for the reason that he could not 
successfully conduct his military operations while such per- 
sons were moving around him; but at last he conceded, 
that a certain amount of trade in the recaptured districts of 
the South would be safe, proper, and even highly useful to 
the Union — provided it could be conducted through honest, 
unimpeachable Union hands. He was asked to name the 
persons to whom he would be willing to trust. 

" I will do no such thing," was Grant's reply ; " for if I 
did, it would appear in less than a week that I was a part- 
ner of every one of the persons trading under my au- 
thority." 
7 



146 GENEEAL GEANT 



CHAPTER XV. 

ADVANCE INTO MISSISSIPPI. — A EETROSPECT. 

The object of the advance of General Grant's army into 
the State of Mississippi was to reduce Vicksburg, and open 
the Mississippi River from its source to the Gulf. The river 
had been blockaded at different times, by the fortification 
of certain points, which had all been subdued by the gun- 
boats, with the exception of Vicksburg ; but in consequence 
of the natural, as well as artificial strength of that position, 
it could not be taken from the water-front. It became, 
therefore, necessary that the land forces should co-operate 
in the movement for the conquest of the rebels at this 
point. 

It will be needful, for a clear understanding of the posi- 
tion of affairs when General Grant first undertook this re- 
sponsible duty, to go back to the time when the great river 
of the West was first blockaded at Vicksburg by the rebels, 
and show how every previous effort had failed to reduce 
the stronghold which had been styled by the enemy, the 
" Gibraltar of the Mississippi." 

On the 12th day of January, 1861, the Governor of the 
State of Mississippi first sent artillery to fortify Vicksburg, 
then supposed to be the strongest defensive position on the 
river, commanding as it did, from an important elevation, 
the channel for some miles, both above and below the 
city. 

Wb^Ti it was found that the gunboat fleet had, with the 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 147 

assistance of the army, reduced the strong position at Island 
No. 10, and had pushed down past the works constructed 
to blockade the river above Memphis, the rebels at once, 
under skilful engineers, began strengthening the fortifica- 
tions at Vicksburg, until they were considered incapable 
of being stronger, and sufficient to resist the advance of 
any enemy either by land or from the water. Vicksburg, in 
fact, became a series of forts, inclosed and connected, as it 
were, within a larger fortress. 

The operations of the army and the naval forces in the 
"West up to May, 1862, had principally been for two grand 
objects — the reopening of the Mississippi River to the 
Gulf, and the suppression of the rebels in arms. The 
movements were therefore general in their character up to 
this date, and had not been directed to any one particu- 
lar point, until the advance upon Corinth, under General 
Halleck. 

About June, 1862, the reduction of Vicksburg and its 
neighboring batteries became a subject of more direct im- 
portance, and a special object to be accomplished ; and on 
the 1st of that month, Commodore Farragut's fleet, which 
had taken New Orleans, and the other points of the Lower 
Mississippi, arrived off Grand Gulf, where it attacked a 
rebel battery of rifled guns. After a brief engagement the 
fleet passed up the river, without reducing the battery. It 
was the approach of this fleet from below and of the gun- 
boat fleet from above, that warned General Beauregard 
that his army was in great danger, if he should remain too 
long at Corinth. 

As before stated, Memphis was reduced on June 6th, 
and the next day, Farragut's fleet arrived ofl" Vicksburg. 
On June 8th, a portion of the fleet returned to Grand Gulf, 
and for the time, silenced the rebel battery at that point. 
The gunboat fleet having cleared the river to Vicksburg 



148 GENERAL GRANT 

from above, after reaching that place returned north, to 
operate on the rivers of Arkansas. 

The movements of the Union army under General Grant, 
after the evacuation of Corinth, and the arrival of Farra- 
gut's fleet before Vicksburg, had such an effect upon the 
rebel inhabitants of the State of Mississippi, that they, on 
June 16th, 1862, removed their state archives from their 
capital — Jackson — to a more remote position. On the 
27th of June, 1862, the fleet began bombarding Yicksburg, 
and with the aid of Porter's mortar fleet, kept shelling the 
rebel position at intervals, until the end of July, when the 
river was found to be so low, that the fleet had to retire to 
New Orleans, to prevent the larger vessels from becoming 
aground. 

About twelve miles north of Vicksburg is the mouth of the 
Yazoo River, the waters of which stream are deep enough to 
float an ordinary river vessel, at almost any season of the 
year. Up this river, the rebels had established an impro- 
vised navy-yard; had there constructed a powerful iron-clad 
ram, which they had named the " Arkansas ;" and, to pre- 
vent an enemy from passing up the Yazoo River to destroy 
this ship-building, the rebels had fortified Haines's Bluff, a 
strong elevation, a short distance above the point where 
the Yazoo falls into the Mississippi River. On July 15th, 
1862, this ram came down the Yazoo, ran by the fleet, and 
laid up before the city of Yicksburg, adding thereby a 
floating battery to the works of that place. The gunboat 
" Essex" and the ram " Queen of the West," however, sub- 
sequently inflicted such injuries on this rebel vessel, that 
in a short time she was completely destroyed. 

At this time, Yicksburg and its vicinity formed a portion 
of the Union Department of the Gulf, therefore, all military 
operations had to be made by troops having their base at 
New Orleans. While the United States vessels were en- 



"'1 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 1-49 

gaged as just described, the troops, which consisted of one 
small division of infantry, under General Williams, were 
far from being idle. 

An idea had been conceived that it was possible to iso- 
late the city of Vicks burg, which was located on a bend 
of the Mississippi R^ver, by turning the course of that 
stream, and thus force the city inland, some six miles.* 
As the only strategical value of Vicksburg to the rebels 
was its power in blockading the river, if the channel could 
be thus changed into another direction, the rebel works 
would be useless, and could be reduced without much 
bloodshed, even if they were not voluntarily abandoned. To 
effect this change in the channel of the river, it was deemed 
necessary to cut a canal across the neck of land between 
De Soto and Richmond, La., and nearly opposite Vicks- 
burg. The troops were therefore employed on this work, 
while the fleet bombarded the city. II' the channel had 
been thus changed, the piece of land cut off in this method 
would have been taken out of the State of Louisiana, and 
added to the State of Mississippi. 

On the 22d of July, 1S62, this canal was declared com- 
pleted ; but the waters of the river were too low to flow 
through it, at least it was then so supposed ; but, after- 
wards, it was ascertained that the canal was located in the 
wrong spot, to cause any variation in the channel. 

The waters of the river continuing to subside rapidly, it 
was deemed advisable to raise the siege ; and the rebels 
took this opportunity to fill up the canal cut by the Union 
troops, and then to add their Vicksburg garrison to the 
force engaged against Corinth, during the early part of 
October. They, also, further fortified the hills around 

* On many previous occasions, the course of the Mississippi River 
nad been changed in one night, by merely running a plough across a 
neck of land, and thus making a previous peninsula into an island. 



150 GENERAL GRANT 

Vicksburg, on both the land and water sides, so as to ren- 
der it, if possible, perfectly impregnable. 

Such was the position of affairs, when General Grant 
commenced his advance into the State of Mississippi ; and 
to prevent the naval vessels from N >w Orleans from again 
ascending the river, to co-operate with him, the rebel forces, 
on November 25th, 1862, fortified Port Hudson, on the 
southwest corner of East Feliciana County, La., and a 
short distance above Baton Rouge. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 151 



CHAPTER XVI. 

FIKST MOVEMENTS TOWARDS VICKSBURG. 

General John A. Logan, one of the officers who had 
served under General Grant, from the first day he assumed 
command at Cairo, asserted, in the halls of the National 
Congress, that, if the Mississippi River could not other- 
wise be opened, " the men of the Northwest would hew 
their way to the Gulf," if the opportunity was only al- 
lowed them. The Government, finding this to be the tem- 
per of those hardy Western men, determined to foster that 
feeling, by not only enlarging General Grant's Depart- 
ment, but also by increasing his forces. 

On the 28th of November, a force of infantry and cav- 
alry, under Generals A. P. Hovey and Washburne, arrived 
at Delta, on the Mississippi River, near the mouth of the 
Yazoo Pass. They had started the previous day from He- 
lena, on the Arkansas shore, at which point the Union 
troops about to join General Grant were being concen 
trated. General Washburne's cavalry made a reconnoissance 
to the mouth of the Cold water River, where he captured a 
rebel camp, a number of horses, arms, and equipments, and 
routed the enemy. The reconnoissance was pushed along 
both the Coldwater and Tallahatchie Rivers, thence to 
Preston, after which an expedition was sent to Garner's 
Station, to destroy the railroad bridge and track. This 
expedition was completely successful, as were several others 



152 GENERAL GKANT 

of a similar character. The cavalry then returned via 
Charleston, and formed a junction, near Mitchell's Cross- 
Roads, with General Hovey's forces. The reconnoissance 
was next pushed up to Panola, where an abandoned rebel 
camp was discovered, the occupants having fled during the 
previous night. The cavalry again moved in a southerly 
direction to Oakland, and along the road towards Coffee- 
ville. After ascertaining the exact position of the rebel 
forces, and being engaged in a few skirmishes, this part 
of the expedition returned to the mouth of the Cold water 
River. General Hovey's command also cut some portions 
of the railroad lines. This movement created quite a 
panic among the rebels of the Southwest. 

Meanwhile, the main forces, under General Grant, moved 
steadily forward along the line of railroad leading from 
Grand Junction to Grenada. On November 28th, the ad- 
vance left Davis's Mills for Holly Springs, Colonel Lee's 
cavalry pushing on ahead. All along the line of march 
were evidences of the recent cavalry operations of the 
Union forces. At ten o'clock of the morning of November 
29th, the advance passed through Holly Springs, pushing 
on rapidly still further south, arriving near Waterford on 
the 30th. In this place was discovered several evidences 
of the illegal traffic that had been carried on through the 
rebel lines ; one house, in St. Louis, having a branch clothing 
establishment for the supply of the rebels. This, and simi- 
lar facts, led General Grant to issue his order, No. 11. 

Cavalry reconnoissances were sent out under Colonel 
Lee, and discovered the enemy in force on the Tallahatchie. 
A skirmish took place on November 30th, near Abbeville, 
resulting in the retreat of the rebels to the defences at that 
place. On the 2d of December, Abbeville was evacuated, 
and occupied by the Union forces. A series of skirmishes 
occurred on December 3d, near Oxford, Miss., between the 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 153 

Union cavalry advance and the rebels, and resulted in the 
retreat of the latter. The cavalry then pushed on after 
Van Dorn's retreating column, and, on December 4th, 
drove the rebels out of Water Valley, engaging them 
sharply near Coffbeville, on December 5th. 

As the cavalry thus pushed on, they were followed by 
the main army under General Grant, whose generalship 
was plainly manifested in every movement he made. By 
sending General Hovey's forces, via Delta, toward the rail- 
road lines, he created a panic in the very vicinity through 
which he was marching, thus making his advance almost 
a bloodless one. The gunboat fleet were also operating 
along the rivers, especially the Yazoo, in which torpedoes 
had been sunk by the rebels, to repel the advance. On 
December 11th, the gunboat Cairo was sunk by the ex- 
plosion of one of these hidden weapons. 

Skirmishes would occasionally take place at the posts 
left behind General Grant in his advance, but as he always 
took care that such places should be well guarded, these 
brief contests did not, at first, interfere with his move- 
ments. On December 12th, a skirmish took place at Cor- 
inth, but was handsomely repulsed by Colonel (since Gen- 
eral) Sweeny. 

General Grant's head-quarters had, by this time, been re- 
moved to Oxford, Mississippi ; but, in consequence of the 
attack iqion and disgraceful surrender of Holly Springs, on 
December 20th, with all its stores, etc., so necessary to the 
advance, General Grant's main forces had to fall back to 
that place, where he located his head-quarters, in order to 
recruit his supplies. Upon the investigation of the matter 
concerning this surrender, General Grant found that it was 
not warranted by any circumstances that attended it, and 
he expressed his displeasure in the following condemnatory 
order : — 



154 GENERAL GRANT 

Head-Quarters, I 3th Army Corps, ) 

Department op the Tennessee, v 

Holly Springs, Miss., December 24, 1862. ) 

[Special Field Orders, Fo. 23.] (Extract.) 

It is with pain and mortification that the General Commanding reflects 
upon the disgraceful surrender of the place, with all the valuable stores it con- 
tained, on the 20th inst, and that without any resistance except by a few 
men, who form an honorable exception; and this, too, after warning 
had been giving of the enemy northward, the evening previous. With 
all the cotton, public stores, and substantial buildings about the depot, 
it would have been perfectly practicable to have made, in a few hours, a de- 
fence sufficient- to resist, with a small garrison, all the cavalry force brought 
against them until the re-enforcements which the commanding officer was 
notified were marching to his relief could have reached him. 

The conduct of officers and men in accepting paroles, under the circum- 
stances, is highly reprehensible, and, to say the least, thoughtless. By 
the terms of the Dix-Hill cartel each party is bound to take care of their 
prisoners and to send them to Vicksburg, or a point on the James River, 
for exchange, or parole, unless some other point is mutually agreed upon 
by the generals commanding the opposing armies. 

By a refusal to be paroled, tha enemy, from his inability to take care of 
the prisoners, would have been compelled either to have refused them uncon- 
ditionally, or to have abandoned further aggressive movements for the time 
being, which would have made their recapture, and the discomfiture of the 
enemy almost certain. 

The prisoners paroled at this place will be collected in camp at once 
by the post commander, and held under close guard until their case can 
be reported to Washington for further instructions. 

Commanders throughout the department are directed to arrest and hold 
as above all men of their commands and all stragglers who may have 
accepted their paroles upon like terms. 

The General Commanding is satisfied that the majority of the troops 
who accepted a parole did so thoughtlessly and from want of knowledge 
of the cartel referred to, and that in future they will not be caught in 
the same way. 

By order of Major-General U. S. Grant. 

John A. Rawlins, A. A.-G. 

Other posts in General Grant's rear were attacked at 
about the same time as Holly Springs, but were bravely 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 155 

defended by their garrisons, and the rebel onslaughts re- 
pulsed. General Grant, therefore, caused a full investiga- 
tion to be made, respecting the conduct of the troops at all 
the points that were assailed, and expressed his feelings 
concerning it, in the following order : — 

Head-Quarters, Department of the Tennessee, ) 
Holly Springs, Miss., January 8, 1863. ) 

[General Orders, No. 4] 

I. The Major- General Commanding the department takes just prido 
and satisfaction in congratulating the small garrisons of the posts of 
Coldwater, Davis's Mills, and Middleburg, for the heroic defence of their 
positions on the 20th, 21st, and 24th ultimo, and their successful repulse of 
an enemy many times their number. 

The 90th Illinois, at Coldwater (its first engagement); the detach- 
ment of the veteran 25th Indiana, and two companies of the 5th Ohio 
Cavalry, at Davis's Mills ; and the detachment of the gallant 12th Michi- 
gan at Middleburg, are deserving of the thanks of the army, which was in 
a measure dependent upon the road they so nobly defended for supplies, 
and they will receive the meed of praise ever awarded by a grateful 
public to those who bravely and successfully do their duty. 

These regiments are entitled to inscribe upon their banners, respec- 
tively, Coldwater, Davis's Mills, and Middleburg, with the names of other 
battle-fields made victorious by their valor and discipline. 

It is gratifying to know that at every point where our troops made a stand 
during the late raid of the enemy's cavalry, success followed, and the enemy 
was made to suffer a loss in killed and wounded greater than the entire gar- 
risons of the places attacked. Especially was this the case of Davis's Mills 
and Middleburg. The only success gained by Van Dorn was at Holly 
Springs, where the whole garrison was left by their commander in ignorance 
of the approach of danger. 

II. Colonel R. C. Murphy, of the 8 th Regiment Wisconsin Infantry 
Volunteers, having, while in command of the post of Holly Springs, 
Mississippi, neglected and failed to exercise the usual and ordinary pre- 
cautions to guard and protect the same; having, after repeated and 
timely warning of the approach of the enemy, failed to make any pre- 
parations for resistance or defence, or shown any disposition to do so ; and 
having, with a force amply sufficient to have repulsed the enemy and 
protect the public stores intrusted to his care, disgracefully permitted 
him to capture the post and destroy the stores— and the movement of 



156 GENERAL. GRANT 

troops in the face of an enemy rendering it impracticable to convene a 
court-martial for his trial — is, therefore, dismissed the service of the United 
States — to take effect from the 20lh day of December, 1862, the date of his 
cowardly and disgraceful conduct. 

By order of Major-General U. S. Grant. 

John A. Rawlins, A. A.-G. 

It will be seen, by the date of this last order, that it 
had not been issued in the heat of the moment, or without 
due consideration, but had been the result of a careful in- 
vestigation of the merits and demerits of the case. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 157 



CHAPTER XVn. 

COMMANDER OP POUR ARMY CORPS. — SHERMAN'S EXPEDI- 
TION. 

The forces under General Grant having now been in- 
creased to such an extent as to authorize their division 
into Army Corps,the following order was issued, and gave 
directions for the arrangement of the forces by divisions 
into corps, and stated who were the commanders of the 
new organizations : 

Head-Quarters, Department of the Tennessee, ) 
Holly Springs, Miss., Dec. 22, 1862. J 

[General Orders, No. 14.] 

By directions of the General-in-Chief of the army, the troops in this 
department, including those of the Department of the Missouri opera- 
ting on the Mississippi River, are hereby divided into four Army Corps, 
as follows: 

1. The troops composing the 9th Division, Brigadier-General G. "W. 
Morgan commanding; the 10th Division, Brigadier-General A. J. Smith 
commanding; and all other troops operating on the Mississippi River 
below Memphis, not included in the 15th Army Corps, will constitute the 
13th Army Corps, under the command of Major-General John A. Mc- 
Clernand. 

2. The 5th Division, Brigadier-General Morgan L. Smith commanding; 
the Division from Helena, Ark., commanded by Brigadier-General F. 
Steele ; and the forces in the " District of Memphis," will constitute the 
15th Army Corps, and be commanded bv Major-General W. T. Sherman. 

3. The 6th Division, Brigadier-General J. McArthur commanding ; 
the 7th division, Brigadier-General I. F. Quinby commanding; the 8th 
Division, Brigadier General L. F. Ross commanding ; the 2d Brigade of 
Cavalry, Colonel A. L. Lee commanding ; and the troops in the " Dis* 



158 GENERAL GRANT 

trict of Columbus," commanded by Brigadier-General Davies, and those 
in the " District of Jackson," commanded by Brigadier-General Sullivan, 
will constitute the 16th Army Corps, and be commanded by Major-Gen- 
eral S. A. Hurlbut. 

4. The 1st Division, Brigadier-General J. "W. Denver commanding; 
the 3d Division, Brigadier-General John A. Logan commanding ; the 4th 
Division, Brigadier-General J. G. Lauman commanding; the 1st Bri- 
gade of Cavalry, Colonel B. H. Grierson commanding ; and the forces in 
the "District of Corinth," commanded by Brigadier-General G. M. 
Dodge, will constitute the 17th Army Corps, and be commanded by 
Major-General J. B. McPherson. 

District commanders will send consolidated returns of their forces to 
these head-quarters as well as to Army Corps head-quarters, and will, 
for the present, receive orders from Department head-quarters. 

By order of Major-General U. S. Grant. 

John A. Rawlins, A. A.- G. 

Another general order transposed the divisions of Gen- 
erals Mc Arthur and Quinby, of the 16th Army Corps, with 
those of Generals Lauman and Denver, of the 17th. 

Two days before the issuance of the foregoing, General 
Sherman, who had been placed in command of an expedi- 
tion down the Mississippi River to Vicksburg, and who had 
personally made certain reconnoissances in the vicinity of 
the Tallahatchie River, embarked his forces at Memphis, 
and they were ordered to rendezvous at Friar's Point, 
eighteen miles below Helena. The fleet consisted of one 
hundred and twenty-seven steamers, in addition to the 
gunboats. General Sherman's force was composed en- 
tirely of Western men, good fighters, hardy, daring, aud 
used to a rough and adventurous life. 

In order that the expedition might be composed entirely 
of fighting material, General Sherman issued the folio wing, 
before embarking his forces : 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 159 

ters, Right "Wing 13th Army 
Memphis, Tenn., Dec. 18, 1862. 



Head-Quarters, Right "Wing 13th Army Corps, j 



[General Orders, No. 8.] 

1. The expedition now fitting out is purely of a military character, 
and the interests involved are of too important a nature to be mixed 
up with personal and private business. No citizen, male or female, will he 
allowed to accompany it, unless employed as part of a crew or as ser- 
vants to the transports. Female chambermaids to the boats and nurses 
to the sick alone will be allowed, unless the wives of captains and pilots 
actually belonging to the boats. No laundress, officer's, or soldier's wife 
must pass below Helena. 

2. No person whatever, citizen, officer, or sutler, will, on any con- 
sideration, buy or deal in cotton or other produce of the country. 
Should any cotton be brought on board of any transport going or return- 
ing, the brigade quartermaster, of which the boat forms a part, will 
take possession of it, and invoice it to Captain A. R. Eddy, Chief 
Quartermaster at Memphis. 

3. Should any cotton or other produce, be brought back to Memphis 
by any chartered boat, Captain Eddy will take possession of the same, 
and sell it for the benefit of the United States. If accompanied by its 
actual producer, the planter or factor, the quartermaster will furnish 
him with a receipt for the same to be settled for, on proof of his loyal- 
ty at the close of the war. 

4. Boats ascending the river may take cotton from the shore for bulk- 
heads to protect their engines or crew, but on arrival at Memphis it 
will be turned over to the quartermaster with a statement of the time, 
place, and name of its owner. The trade in cotton must await a more 
peaceful state of affairs. 

5. Should any citizen accompany the expedition below Helena, in violation 
of these orders, any colonel of a regiment or captain of a battery will con- 
script Mm into the service of the United States for the unexpired term of Ms 
command. If he show a refractory spirit unfitting him for a soldier, the 
commanding officer present will turn him over to the captain of the boat as 
a deck hand, and compel him to work in that capacity without wages until 
the boat returns to Memphis. 

6. Any person whatever, whether in the service of the United States 
or transports, found making reports for publication, which might reach 
the enemy, giving them information, aid, and comfort, will be arrested 
and treated as spies. By order of Major-General Sherman. 

J. H. Hammojst), Major and A. A.-G. 



160 GENERAL GRANT 

The foregoing order certainly gave speculators due "warn- 
ing of what they might expect, if they attempted to conceal 
themselves among the soldiers and were found out. 

General Sherman, when he .left Memphis, located his 
head-quarters on the "Forest Queen," and with his staff 
arrived at Friar's Point oh December 21st. It will thus 
be seen that General Sherman was entirely unaware of the 
necessity which existed in General Grant retracing his 
steps from Oxford to Holly Springs ; and as the plan had 
been for the latter to move upon Jackson by the railroad, 
thence to Vieksbnrg, while the former attacked the works, a 
proper combination was certainly needed to secure success. 

It was not possible for General Grant to inform Gen- 
eral Sherman of his retrograde movement ; and it was only 
to be hoped that, having the moral support of supposing 
General Grant was successful, he would himself succeed. 

As it was, the troops that had retreated before General 
Grant's advance, finding that they were released from the 
necessity of further resisting him — as it would have been a 
fatal madness for him to have pushed on to Jackson with- 
out supplies — were immediately transported to Vicksburg 
to resist the onslaught of General Sherman, of whose 
expedition the rebels had been duly apprised by their sym- 
pathizers in Memphis. 

General Sherman, therefore, proceeded with his part of 
the expedition, and landed a small force under General 
Morgan L. Smith, at Milliken's Bend. These troops pro- 
ceeded to Delhi and Dallas, on the Vicksburg and Texas 
Railroad, and destroyed the depots and a section of the 
track, so as to cut off the retreat of the rebels from Vicks- 
burg. 

It will be seen that General Grant's plan was a splendid 
one ; and but for the surrender of Holly Springs, must have 
proved successful. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 101 

On the 27th of December, 1862, the main forces under 
General Sherman, having successfully disembarked at 
Johnston's Landing, near the mouth of the Yazoo River, 
the command next prepared for an assault upon the north- 
ern works that defended the city of Vicksburg. 



102 GENERAL GRANT 



CHAPTER XVIII. 
Sherman's attack: upon vicksburg. — Arkansas post.* 

The forces under General Sherman consisted of four di- 
visions, and were known as the "Right Wing of the Army 
of the Tennessee." 

At about noon of December 26th, 1862, the fleet of trans- 
ports arrived off Johnston's Landing, and under cover of 
the gunboats, the men were disembarked ; the armed ves- 
sels having first silenced the battery which the rebels had 
planted. By early morning the whole force, infantry and 
artillery were landed — the advance having already moved 
some distance inland. 

Vicksburg, from this point of landing, was peculiarly 
situated, being on a hill, with a line of hills surrounding it 
at a distance of several miles, and extending from Haines' 
Bluff, on the Yazoo River, to Warren ton, ten miles below 
the city, on the Mississippi River. The low country in the 
vicinity is swampy, filled with sloughs, bayous, and lagoons. 
To approach Vicksburg with a large force by this route, 
even in times of peace, would be a matter of great diffi- 
culty, and with an enemy in front, it was almost an im- 
possibility. 

* Those two actions -were not under the immediate supervision of 
General Grant; but as they occurred within his department, and were 
fought by his troops, they consequently form a portion of bis military his- 
tory. Under such circumstances, it is not necessary to fully describe 
each battle in detail, but briefly allude to them, so as to connect tho 
links in the historic chain. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 



163 



On Saturday morning, December 27th, 1862, the army- 
was drawn up in line of battle, prepared to make the as- 
sault on the enemy's works. The general advance was 
then commenced from different points, and by dusk the 
enemy was driven at least a quarter of a mile from his for- 
mer position.* 

On the 28th, the men fought with great bravery and de- 
termination; but the non-arrival of the left wing had com- 
pletely disarranged the plan of battle. The enemy had 
also by this time, been considerably re-enforced by the 
troops that had fled from before General Grant's advance ; 
and the missiles from this concentrated body were thrown 
with great rapidity upon General Sherman's lines. The 
rebels, however, refused to come from behind their de- 
fences, which, on the morning of the 29th, extended for at 
least two miles up the bluffs — the newly arrived troops 
having been at once set to work, during the previous night, 
throwing up earthwork batteries in all directions, and at 
every assailable point. The position was naturally strong, 
but by the addition of art, it was made completely impreg- 
nable against so small a force as that commanded by Gen- 
eral Sherman. The woods were also filled with sharpshoot- 
ers, who picked off the officers with great rapidity. 

During Monday, the 29th, several brilliant charges were 
made by the troops on the rebel works ; but all was in 
vain, as the men were, on all occasions outnumbered by the 
enemy, and consequently could not hold the positions, even 
after they were taken. General Blair's brigade, headed 



* General Sherman had bo far successfully carried out his pari 
of the programme ; and it was by this timo expected that General Grant 
■would have been able to co-operate with him. The surrender of Holly 
Springs, as before described, had, however, prevented the latter from 
following out his portion of the plan: and thus, by the delinquency of one 
subordinate, the whole campaign was ruined. 



164 



GEXEKAL GKANT 



by himself on foot, particularly distinguished itself, and 
suffered the greatest loss. As the men fell back upon their 
supports, the last man to leave the hill, was the brigade 
commander. 

The following description of the charge is given by one 
who witnessed the whole action : 

General Morgan, at eleven o'clock A. si., sent word to General Steele 
that he was about ready for the movement upon the hill, and wished the 
latter to support him with General Thayer's Brigade. General Steele 
accordingly ordered General Thayer to move his brigade forward, and be 
ready for the assault. The order was promptly complied with, and Gen- 
eral Blair received from General Morgan the order to assault the hill. 
The artillery had been silent for some time ; but Hoffman's Battery 
opened when the movement commenced. This was promptly replied to 
by the enemy, and taken up byGriffith's First Iowa Battery, and a vig- 
orous shelling was the result. By the time General Blair's Brigade 
emerged from its cover of cypress forest, the shell were dropping fast 
among the men. A field battery had been in position in front of Hoff- 
man's Battery ; but it Umbered up and moved away beyoud the heavy 
batteries and the rifle-pits. 

In front of the timber where Blair's Brigade had been lying was an 
abatis of young trees, cut off about three feet above the ground, and with 
the tops fallen promiscuously around. It took some minutes to pass 
this abatis, and by the time it was accomplished the enemy's fire had 
not been without effect. Beyond this abatis was a ditch fifteen or twenty 
feet deep, and with two or three feet of water in the bottom. The 
bottom of the ditch was a quicksand, in which the feet of the men com- 
menced sinking, the instant they touched it. By the time this ditch was 
passed the line was thrown into considerable confusion, and it took seve- 
ral minutes to put it in order. All the horses of the officers were mired 
in this ditch. Every one dismounted and moved up the hill on foot. 

Beyond this ditch was an abatis of heavy timber that had been felled 
several months before, and, from being completely seasoned, was more 
difficult of passage than that constructed of the greener and more flex- 
ible trees encountered at first. These obstacles were overcome under a 
tremendous fire from the enemy's batteries and the men in the rifle-pits. 
The line wasy recovered from the disorder into which it had been thrown 
by the passage of the abatis ; and, with General Blair at their head, the 
regiments m™ed forward " upon the enemy's works." The first move 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 



165 



meiit was over a sloping plateau, raked by direct and enfilading fires from 
heavy artillery, and swept by a perfect storm of bullets from the rifle- 
pits. Nothing daunted by the dozens of men that had already fallen, the 
brigade pressed on, and in a few moments had driven the enemy from the 
first range of rifle-pits at the base of the hill, and were in full possession. 
Halting but a moment to take breath, the brigade renewed the charge, 
and speedily occupied the second line of rifle-pits, about two hundred 
yards distant from the first. General Blair was the first man of his 
brigade to enter. All this time the murderous fire from the enemy's 
guns continued. The batteries were still above this line of rifle-pits. 
The regiments were not strong enough to attempt their capture without 
a prompt and powerful support. For them it had truly been a march 

Into the jaws of death — 
Into the mouth of hell. 

Almost simultaneously with the movement of General Blair on the 
left, Gen. Thayer received his command to go forward. He had previ- 
ously given orders to all his regiments in column to follow each other 
whenever the first moved forward. He accordingly placed himself at 
the head of his advance regiment, the Fourth Iowa^' and his order— 
" Forward, Second Brigade I" — rang out clear above the tumult. Colonel 
Williamson, commanding the Fourth Iowa, moved it off in splendid style. 
General Thayer supposed that all the other regiments of his brigade were 
following, in accordance with his instructions previously issued. He 
wound through the timber skirting the bayou, crossed at the same bridge 
where General Blair had passed but a few minutes before, made his way 
through the ditch and both lines of abatis, deflected the right and 
ascended the sloping plateau in the direction of the rifle-pits simulta- 
neously with General Blair, and about two hundred yards to his right. 

When General Thayer reached the rifle-pits, after hard fighting and a 
heavy loss, he found, to his horror, that only the Fourth Iowa had fol- 
lowed him, the wooded nature of the place having prevented his ascer- 
taining it before. Sadly disheartened, with little hope of success, he 
still pressed forward and fought his way to the second line, at the same 
time that General Blair reached it on the left. Colonel Williamson's 
regiment was fast falling before the concentrated fire of the rebels, and 
with an anxious heart General Thayer looked around for aid. 

The rebels were forming three full regiments of infantry to move 
down upon General Thayer, and were massing a proportionately for- 
midable force against General Blair. The rebel infantry and artillery 
were constantly in full play, and two heavy guns were rakmg the rifle- 



166 GENERAL GRANT 

pits in several places. "With no hope of succor, General Thayer gave 
the order for a return down the hill and back to his original position. 
The Fourth Iowa, entering the fight five hundred strong, had lost a hun- 
dred and twenty men in less than thirty minutes. It fell back at a quick 
inarch, but with its ranks unbroken and without any thing of panic. 

It appears that just at the time General Thayer's Brigade started up 
the hill, General Morgan sent for a portion of it to support him on the 
right. General Steele at once diverted the Second Regiment of Thayer's 
Brigade, which was passing at the time. The Second Regiment being 
thus diverted, the others followed, in accordance with the orders they 
had previously received from their commander. Notice of the move- 
ment was sent to General Thayer ; but, in consequence of the death of 
the courier, the notification never reached him. This accounts for his 
being left with nothing save the Fourth Iowa Regiment. The occur- 
rence was a sad one. The troops thus turned off were among the best 
that had yet been in action, and had they been permitted to charge the 
enemy they would have won for themselves a brilliant record. 

When General Blair entered the second fine of rifle-pits, his brigade 
continued to pursue the enemy up the hill. The Thirteenth Illinois In- 
fantry was in advance, and fought with desperation to win its way to the 
top of the crest. Fifty yards or more above the second line of rifle-pits 
is a small clump of willows, hardly deserving the name of trees. They 
stand in a corn-field, and from the banks of the bayou below presented 
the appearance of a green hillock. To this copse many of the rebels fled 
when they were driven from the rifle-pits, and they were promptly pur- 
sued by General Blair's men. The Thirteenth met and engaged the 
rebels hand to hand, and in the encounter bayonets were repeatedly 
crossed. It gained the place, driving out the enemy ; but as soon as 
our men occupied it the fire of a field-battery was turned upon them and 
the place became too hot to be held. 

The road from Mrs. Lake's plantation to the top of the high ground 
and thence to Yicksburg, runs at an angle along the side of the hill, so 
as to obtain a slope easy of ascent. The lower side of this road was pro- 
vided with a breastwork, so that a light battery could be taken any- 
where along the road and fired over the embankment. From the 
nearest point of this embankment a battery opened on the Thirteenth 
Illinois, and was aided by a heavy battery on the hilL Several men 
were killed by the shell and grape that swept the copse. 

The other regiments of the brigade came to the support of the Thir- 
teenth, the Twenty-ninth Missouri, Colonel Cavender, being in the 



AXD HIS CAMPAIGNS. 167 

advance. Meantime the rebels formed a large force of infantry to bring 
against them, and when the Twenty-ninth reached the copse the rebels 
were already engaging the Union troops. The color-bearer of the 
Twelfth had been shot down, and some one picked up the standard and 
planted it in front of the copse. The force of the rebels was too great 
for our men to stand against them, and they slowly fell back, fighting 
step by step toward the rifle-pits, and taking their colors with them. 

In this charge upon the hill the regiments lost severely. In General 
Blair's Brigade there were eighteen hundred and twenty -five men en- 
gaged in this assault, and of this number six hundred and forty-two were 
killed, wounded, and captured.* 

Under a flag of truce the dead were buried and the 
wounded removed, after which General Sherman gave the 
order for his troops to re-embark. 

The arrival of General McClernand at the scene of action 
next caused a change in the command, as he ranked Gen- 
eral Sherman by over one month in the date of his com- 
mission ; and an order was at once given by the former to 
withdraw from the Yazoo River, where the vessels were 
stationed, and return to the Mississippi River. General 
McClernand, on assuming the command, ordered the title 
of the army to be changed, and General Sherman an- 
nounced the fact in the following order : 

Head-Quarters, Right Wing Army of Tennessee, | 
Steamer Forest Qdeen, Milliken's Bend, January 4, 1863. ) 
[General Orders, No. 5.] 

Pursuant to the terms of General Orders, No. 1, made this day by 
General McClernand, the title of our army ceases to exist, and consti- 
tutes in the future the Army of the Mississippi, composed of two 
" army corps," one to be commanded by General G. W. Morgan, and the 
other by myself. In relinquishing the command of the Army of the 
Tennessee, and restricting my authority to my own corps, I desire to 
express to all commanders, to soldiers and officers recently operating 
before Vicksburg, my hearty thanks for their zeal, alacrity, and courage 
manifested by them on all occasions. "We failed in accomplishing one 



16S GENERAL GRANT 

purpose of our movement, the capture of Yicksburg; but we were 
part of a whole. Ours was but part of a combined movement, in which 
others were to <xssist. We were on time; unforeseen contingencies must have 
delayed the others. We have destroyed the Shreveport road, we have 
attacked the defences of Vicksburg, aud pushed the attack as far as 
prudence would justify ; and having found it too strong for our single 
column, we have drawn off in good order and good spirits, ready for any 
new move. A new commander is now here to lead you. He is chosen by 
the President of the United States, who is charged by the Constitution 
to maintain and defend it, and he has the undoubted right to select his 
own agents. / know that all good officers and soldiers will give him the 
same hearty support and cheerful obedience they have hitherto given mc. 
There are honors enough in reserve for all, and work enough too. Let 
each do his appropriate part, and our nation must in the end emerge 
from this dire conflict purified and ennobled by the fires which now test 
its strength and purity. All officers of the general staff now attached 
to my person will hereafter report in person and by letter to Major 
General McClernand, commanding the Army of the Mississippi, on board 
the steamer Tigress, at our rendezvous at Gaines's Landing and at Mont- 
gomery Point. 

By order of Major-General TV. T. Sherman. 

J. H. Hammond, A. A.-G. 

For a short time this part of the army operated without 
being under the direct command of General Grant, and 
was, therefore, taken away from aiding in the grand object 
of the campaign — the reduction of Vicksburg. As such a 
diversion of General Grant's troops would necessarily lead 
to reduction of one-half of the force under his command, 
and perhaps a complete failure of the whole enterprise, for 
which he had so long labored, an application was made to 
the President to change the programme, which was done 
accordingly, and the two army corps — the 13th and 15th 
— again united to his forces, and ordered to report to 
him. 

In the mean time the Army of the Mississippi, composed 
of those two corps, was taken up the Arkansas and White 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 109 

Rivers to operate against Fort Hindman, a rebel work 
commanding the former stream. 

The following dispatches will explain the result of the 

movement : 

Head-Quarters, Army of the Mississippi, ) 
Post of Arkansas, January 11, 18G3. ) 
Major-General U. S. Grant, Commanding Department of the Tennessee: 

I have the honor to report that the forces under my command attacked 
the Post of Arkansas to-day, at one o'clock, having stormed the enemy's 
work. We took a large number of prisoners, variously estimated at 
from seven thousand to ten thousand, together with all his stores, ani- 
mals, and munitions of war. 

Rear-Admiral David D. Porter, commanding the Mississippi Squadron, 
effectively and brilliantly co-operated, accomplishing this complete success. 
John A. McClerxand, Major- General Commanding. 

United States Mississippi Squadron, ) 
Arkansas Post, January 11, 1863. ) 
Hon. Gideon Welles, Secretary of Navy : — 

Sir — The gunboats Louisville, De Kalb, Cincinnati, and Lexington, 
attacked the heavy fort at the Post, on the Arkansas, last night, and 
silenced the batteries, killing twenty of the enemy. 

The gunboats attacked again this morning, and dismounted every gun, 
eleven in all. 

Colonel Dunnington, late of the United States Navy, commandant of 
the fort, requested to surrender to the Navy. I received his sword. 

The army co-operated on the land side. The forts were completely 
silenced, and the guns, eleven in number, were all dismounted in three 
hours. 

The action was at close quarters on the part of the three iron-clads 
and the firing splendid. 

The list of killed and wounded is small. The Louisville lost twelve, 
De Kalb seventeen, Cincinnati none, Lexington none, and Rattler two. 

The vessels, although much cut up, were ready for action in half an 
hour after the battle. 

The light draught Rattler, LieutenaDt-Commander Wilson Smith, and 
the other light draughts, joined in the action when it became general, as 
did the Black Hawk, Lieutenant-Commander R. B. Breese, with her rifle- 
guns. Particulars will be given hereafter. 

Yery respectfully, your obedient servant, 

David D. Pouter, Acting Rear-Admiral. 
8 



170 GENERAL GRANT 



CHAPTER XIX. 

DISCIPLINE. — GUERILLAS. 

During the investigation that followed the surrender of 
Holly Springs, it was discovered that political agencies 
had been brought to bear, to induce certain regiments to 
throw down their arms and refuse to fight, and even to 
surrender to the enemy. General Grant, in order to check 
an evil that would soon prove disastrous, if allowed to go 
•npunished, issued the following special order concerning 
sine of the regiments so disaffected. 

Head-Quarters Thirteenth Army Corps, ] 
Department of th\s Tennessee, >• 
Holly Springs, Miss., December 31, 1862. J 
[Special Orders, No. 58.] 

It having been alleged that the 109th Regiment Illinois Infantry 
Volunteers has shown indications of disloyalty, and many members of 
the regiment having voluntarily hunted up citizens in the neighbor- 
hood of their camp to surrender and obtain parole from, is hereby placed 
in arrest. 

The regiment will be disarmed by the commander of the brigade to 
which the regiment is temporarily attached, and the arms and ammuni- 
tion of the regiment turned over to the Ordnance Officer, Lieutenant 
Carter, to be disposed of as may hereafter be ordered. 

Officers and men will be confined within camp limits until other 
wise ordered. 

The conduct of Company K, of said regiment, being in honorable 
contrast to the balance of the regiment, is exempt from the effect of the 
above order, and will be placed on duty with the brigade to which said 
regiment is attached. 

By command of Major-General U. S. Grant. 

John A. Rawlins, A. A.-G 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. lYl 

The condition of this regiment vras made the matter for 
a special court of inquiry, which was convened under an 
order from General Grant, bearing date January 2d, 1803. 
The case was carefully investigated, and exonerated the 
regiment as a body. The result of the investigation was 
publicly set forth by General Grant, in general orders, and 
read at the head of each regiment. 



Head-Quarters, Department of Tennessee, ) 
Young's Point, La., February 1, 1863. ) 
[General Orders, No. 12.] 

The proceedings of the Court of Inquiry, convened at Holly Springs, 
Miss., by Special Orders, No. 2, of date of January 2d, 1863, from these 
head-quarters, and of which Lieutenant-Colonel Dewitt C. Loudon, of 
the 7th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, was president, to inquire into and in- 
vestigate the allegations and charges of disloyalty against the 109th 
Illinois Infantry Volunteers, exonerate said regiment, as a regiment, 
from all suspicion of disloyalty, satisfactorily vindicate its innocence, and 
place it where the commanding-general hoped to find it, among the pure 
and patriotic in their country'' s defence; that whatever cause for suspicion or 
charges of disloyalty there was arose from the conduct and declarations of 
the following named officers, wlw are hereby dismissed the service of the 
United Slates, with forfeiture of pay and allowances, to take effect from this 
date, for the offences of which they are severally shown to be guilty. 

Lieutenant-Colonel Elijah "Willard, for disobedience of orders, and 
deserting his command in the face of an enemy, that he might be taken 
prisoner. 

Captain John M. Richie, for disobedience of orders, encouraging his 
men to desert, and discouraging his men from fighting in the face of the 
enemy. 

Captain 'Thomas Boswell, for encouraging his men to desert, that they 
might be captured and paroled, and advising them to apply for dis- 
charges for slight causes ; also, for trying to impress upon the minds ol 
the officers and men of his regiment that they were embraced in the sur- 
render of Holly Springs by Colonel Murphy, on the 20th day of Decem- 
ber, 1862, well knowing the same to be false. 

Captain John Mcintosh, for declaring in the hearing of his men. and 
in the presence of the enemy, that he would not fight if attacked, nea; 
flolly Springs, on the 20th December, 1862. 



172 GENERAL GEANT 

Captain Penninger, of Company G-, for proposing a plan by which the 
regiment could be surrendered to the enemy, and attempting to induce 
others of the regiment to aid in carrying it into execution during the 
raid of the enemy's cavalry on Holly Springs, on the 20th day of 
December, 1S62. 

Second-Lieutenant John Stokes, for straggling from his command, and 
procuring for himself and a number of his men fraudulent paroles from 
a rebel citizen. 

Second-Lieutenant Daniel Kimmel, for advising the colonel of his 
regiment, if attacked by the enemy, to surrender, and on feigned sick- 
ness procuring a surgeon's certificate, to go to the hospital, at Holly 
Springs, Miss., by reason of which he was captured and then paroled by 
the enemy during the raid on that place. 

First-Lieutenant and Adjutant James Evans, for inciting dissatisfaction 
among the men of his regiment, and speaking in an improper manner of 
the war and President, in violation of the 5th Article of War. 

Commissary-Sergeant Joshua Wisenheimer is reduced to the ranks 
for declaring that he would never fire a gun upon the enemy, and on 
hearing a camp rumor that Major-General Burnside was defeated with 
a loss of twenty thousand men, wished that it was so. 

By order of Major-General TJ. S. Grant. 

Joiin A. Rawlixs, A. A.-G. 

Cavalry operations were continually taking place in the 
vicinity of the Union posts, and on January 8th, J 863, a 
descent was made on a camp near Ripley, Tennessee, kill- 
ing and wounding several rehel soldiers, and capturing 
forty-six, besides horses, ai'ms, camp equipage, etc. The 
remainder of the force was dispersed. The commander at 
Memphis gave notice that, for all guerilla raids upon 
Union citizens and communications with the city, the resi- 
dent secessionists should be punished in the forfeiture of 
their property and expulsion beyond the extreme limits of 
the Union army lines. 

General Grant's immediate army, except the special 
posts held at Corinth and elsewhere, was also withdrawn 
from Northern Mississippi, after the diversion of the forces 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 173 

acting along the Mississippi River, and the head-quarters of 
the Department were located at Memphis. From this city 
General Grant announced the victory at Arkansas Post. 
After the withdrawal of the army, the rebel guerilla 
forces began to make raids upon all towns recently held by 
the Union troops, and any person or persons that had mani- 
fested to Grant's army any evidence of returning loyalty, 
were summarily punished, either in person or property. 

On the 23d of January, the Army of Mississippi, having 
destroyed all offensive and defensive works at Arkansas 
Post, returned to Memphis and reported to General 
Grant. 

General Grant was also determined that the President's 
Proclamation of Emancipation should be carried out in hi3 
department, and issued an order, relative to the negro 
regiments, of which document the following is an ex- 
tract : — 

Milliken's Bend, La. 
[Genera! Orders, No. 25.] 

I. Corps, Division, and Post Commanders will afford all facilities for 
the completion of the negro regiments now organizing in this Depart- 
ment. Commissaries will issue supplies, and Quartermasters will furnish 
stores on the same requisitions and returns as are required from other 
troops. 

It is expected that all commanders will especially exert themselves in car- 
rying out the policy of the administration, not only in organizing colored 
regiments, and rendering them efficient; but also in removing prejudice 
against them. ***** 

By order of Major-General TJ. S. Gbant. 

John A. Rawlins, A. A.-G. 



174 GENERAL GRANT 



CHAPTER XX. 

CHANGE OF BASE. — WILLIAMS'S CANAL. 

Ok the 29th of January, 1863, General Grant landed a 
portion of his army at Young's Point, Louisiana, and an- 
other portion at Milliken's Bend. He shortly followed 
these forces, and established his head-quarters at the former 
place, whence he could have good control of all the opera- 
tions necessary to the reduction of the rebel stronghold. 
General Grant next thoroughly inspected the rebel works, 
and became convinced that it was impossible to take them 
from the water front. He then held a consultation with 
his generals as to the best plan to be adopted to turn the 
rebel position, and all agreed that the only method that 
promised success was to flank the works on the south 
side. 

The most important object of consideration was the 
means to be adopted to transport his forces to the south 
side of the fortified city. But in this lay the great dif- 
ficulty. The river was completely blockaded above by 
the works on the "Walnut Hills and other elevations, and 
no advance could be made from New Orleans in conse- 
quence of the fortification of Port Hudson. General 
Grant, therefore, turned his attention to the reopening of 
the canal first cut by General Williams, opposite Vicks- 
burg, across the Peninsula on the Louisiana side of the 
river. If this canal had been made successful, trans- 
ports and gunboats could have been taken through it 



AXD HIS CAiirAIGA'S. 175 

to the south side of the city, and the troops and supplies 
moved to a new base of operations. 

The work, however, was of such a herculean nature, 
and was being continually interrupted by the heavy rains 
and the rapid rise of the river, that the number of men re- 
quired to keep the water out of the camps and cuttings 
was much larger than those engaged on the canal, and more 
than could be conveniently detailed for the purpose. 

It now became necessary that the utmost secrecy should 
be used concerning every thing that was being done or 
about to be done in General Grant's army, and the follow- 
ing order was issued to prevent any one from being ad- 
mitted within the lines who did not properly belong to 
the army, and to prohibit those who were inside from going 
beyond the limits : 

Head-Quarters, Department op the Tennessee, ) 
Young's Point, La., Feb. 12, 1863. ] 

[Special Field Orders, Kb. 2.] 

I. The nature of the service the army is now called upon to perform, 
making it impracticable to transport or provide for persons unemploj-ed 
by government, the enticing of negroes to leave their homes to come 
within the lines of the army is positively forbidden. They should be 
permitted to remain at their homes, in pursuance of the recommendation 
of the President, " in all cases where allowed to labor faithfully for rea- 
sonable wages." Those at present within the lines will not be turned out ; 
but in future, in the field, no persons, white or black, ivho are not duly au- 
thorized to pass the lines of sentinels, will be permitted to enter or leave 
camp. 

II. "Whenever the services of negroes are required, details will be 
made by army corpse ommanders for the purpose of collecting them, and 
they will be registered, provided for, and employed in accordance 
with law and existing orders. 

III. The habit too prevalent of arresting citizens beyond the lines 
of the army, and bringing them into camp without charges, is pre- 
judicial to the service, and must not be continued. When citizens are 
arrested hereafter without charges being preferreu warranting the arrest, 
the citizen will ba turned outside the lines, and the officer or soldier 



1 76 GENERAL GRANT 

causing the arrest will be confined, and otherwise punished at the dis- 
cretion of a court-martiaL 

IV. No flag of truce will hereafter be allowed to pass our outposts. 
Any message sent under it will be received by an officer and receipted 
for, and the flag directed to return immediately. All answers to such 
messages will be sent under our own flag of truce. 

V. Attention of army corps commanders is particularly called to tho 
41st, 42d, 4Gth, and 50th Articles of War, which will be rigidly en 
forced. 

By order of Major-General U. S. Grant. 

John A Rawlixs, A. A.-G. 

The four Articles of War referred to in the foregoing 
order are as follows : — 

Art. 41. — All non-commissioned officers and soldiers, who shall be 
found one mile from the camp, without leave in writing, from their com- 
manding officer, shall suffer such punishment as shall be inflicted upon 
them by the sentence of a court-martial. 

Art. 42. — No officer or soldier shall be out of his quarters, garrison, 
or camp, without leave from his superior officer, upon penalty of being 
punished according to tho nature of his offence, by the sentence of a 
court-martial. 

Art. 46. — Any sentinel who shall be found sleeping upon his post, or 
shall leave it before he shall be regularly relieved, shall suffer death, or 
such other punishment as shall be inflicted by the sentence of a court- 
martial. 

Art. 50. — Any officer or soldier who shall, without urgent necessity, 
or without the leave of his superior officer, quit his guard, platoon, or 
division, shall be punished, according to the nature of his offence, by the 
sentence of a court-martial. 

It will be seen at once that something of more than 
ordinary importance was being transacted, to require the 
issuance of such stringent orders as the foregoing. 

The banks of the Mississippi River at this time were 
lined with guerilla parties, who would occasionally fire 
upon the supply boats and transports with light field- 
pieces, and when attacked would retreat into the jungles 
and cane-brakes. This partisan warfare proved to be a 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 177 

great annoyance, and sometimes destructive, but did not 
seriously interfere with General Grant in the prosecution 
of his work. 

During the early part of February, a reconnoissance 
was made in the neighborhood of Lake Providence, and a 
skirmish took place at a point about five miles distant from 
the lake, resulting in the defeat of the rebels. Another 
skirmish took place at Old River, Louisiana, on the 10th 
of February, with a similar result. During the reconnois- 
sance, Captain Prime, Chief of Engineers on General 
Grant's staff, ascertained certain facts that led him to be- 
lieve that a water route could be made through the bayous 
which run from near Milliken's Bend, north of Vicksburg, 
and from New Carthage, south of that city, into the Ten- 
sas river. 

Meanwhile, the work on the Williams Canal continued 
to be prosecuted with great vigor, and a large number of 
men were employed upon it. On the 8th of March the 
overflow of the river broke in the dam at the end of the 
canal, and flooded the whole of the low lands, before the 
cutting could be completed. As the season was too far 
advanced to renew experiments on this enterprise, it had 
to be abandoned. 

8* 



178 GENERAL GRANT 



CHAPTER XXL 

THE QUEEN OF THE WEST AND INDIANOLA.* 

Acting Rear-Admiral Porter's gunboat fleet ably co- 
operated with General Grant in his operations before 
Vicksburg, and, early in February, the ram Queen of the 
West, under command of Colonel Ellet, ran by the batteries 
at Vicksburg, and pushed down the Mississippi and up the 
Red Rivers on a reconnoisance. During the first trip Col- 
onel Ellet captured three of the enemy's transports, and 
then returned to the lower end of the Williams Canal. On 
the 10th of February Colonel Ellet started on a second ex- 
pedition in the same direction, and on the 12th arrived at 
the junction of the Red and Atchafalaya Rivers. The lat- 
ter stream runs from the Red River to the Gulf through a 
curious swampy tract of country in Louisiana. The Queen, 
having left her tenders behind in a secure position, started 
down the Atchafalaya, and after passing along about six 

* This chapter is written to point out one of the great difficulties un- 
der which General Grant labored. The Red River had been used by 
the rebels as a highway for the transportation of stores and supplies 
for the rebel garrisons at Vicksburg, Grand Gulf, Natchez, and Port 
Hudson, and until that source of supply was cut off, it would have been 
impossible to reduce the place by siege. To reach the mouth of the Red 
River it became necessary to run the batteries, and the experiment was 
first made by the Queen of the West, and next by the Indianola. These 
trials of the strength of the rebel batteries may also be looked upon as 
special reconnoissances for future use, as will be developed in the course 
of the narrative. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 179 

miles, succeeded in destroying an army wagon train, and a 
quantity of stores, ammunition, etc., belonging to the en. 
emy. 

On February 14th, Colonel Ellet captured a rebel steam 
transport on the Red River, at a point about fifteen miles 
above the mouth of the Black River. At the time of her 
capture this rebel vessel had on board two lieutenants and 
fourteen privates of the rebel army, and was laden with 
four thousand five hundred bushels of corn. The prisoners 
were put on shore, and the vessels sent under guard to a 
secure position. 

Colonel Ellet then went about thirty miles further up 
the Red River, with the intention of capturing or destroy- 
ing three other steamers which were lying under the pro- 
tection of a rebel battery. The rebels opened upon the 
Queen with four pieces of artillery, and the pilot having 
purposely run the vessel aground, she was brought within 
easy range, and so crippled by the shots from the rebels 
that she had to be abandoned, Colonel Ellet and others es- 
caping on bales of cotton, while the remainder of those on 
board were captured by the rebels.* 

On the night of the 13th, the U. S. gunboat Indianola 
successfully ran by the batteries ofVicksburg, for the pur- 
pose of supporting the Queen of the West in her move- 
ments ; but, after the former had passed Natchez, the 
captain was informed of the capture of the latter vessel by 
those who had escaped. The Indianola, under the guidance 
of Colonel Ellet, who had located his head-quarters on the 
captured vessel Era, then returned towards the Red River, 
with the intention of destroying the battery and retaking 
the Queen of the West. 

* One of those was Mr. Finlay Anderson. 



180 generjll grant 

On arriving at the mouth of the Red River, it was ascer- 
tained that the rebels had several armed vessels up that 
stream, and, under the circumstances, it was deemed advis- 
able not to proceed farther, but to return at once to Vicks- 
burg. While ascending the river, Colonel Ellet's vessel was 
fired upon several times. 

The Indianola was then detailed to blockade the mouth 
of the Red River, barges of coal having been floated by 
the batteries, to keep her* well supplied with fuel. 

At about half-past nine p. m. on February 24th, four 
armed rebel vessels approached the Indianola under the 
cover of darkness. The captured Queen of the West, which 
the rebels had armed and manned, and another ram, made 
the first attack upon the Indianola, and in a short time the 
engagement became general at close quarters. The other 
two rebel vessels were merely cotton clad, and not being 
heavily armed, could do but little damage to the Union 
gunboat. The rebel rams plunged with their prows at the 
Indianola, with great violence, but it was not until the sixth 
blow was administered that any serious damage was in- 
flicted. 

The engagement lasted one hour and twenty-seven min- 
utes, after which the Indianola became so damaged that 
the captain ran her ashore, and surrendered her to the reb- 
els, first destroying all documents of value that had been 
on board. But, before the rebels could take possession of 
their prize, her stern had sunk under water, and her guns 
rendered useless, the lighter ones having been thrown over- 
board. 

The Indianola was finally destroyed by the rebels about 
the beginning of March, 1863. The following extract from 
the Vicksburg Whig, of March 5th, 1863, explains the reason 
of her destruction : 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 181 

Destruction of the Indianola. 
" "We stated a day or two since that we would not enlighten our read- 
ers in regard to a matter which was puzzling them very much. "We 
alluded to the loss of the gunboat Indianola, recently captured from the 
enemy. "We were loath to acknowledge she had been destroyed, but 
such is the case. The Yankee barge sent down the river last week was 
reported to be an iron-clad gunboat. The authorities, thinking that this 
monster would retake the Indianola, immediately issued an order to blow 
her up. The order was sent down by a courier to the officer in charge 
of the vessel. A few hours afterwards another order was sent down 
countermanding the first, it being ascertained that the monstrous craft 
was only a coal boat: but before it reached the Indianola she had been 
blown to atoms — not even a gun was saved. Who is to blame for this 
folly — this precipitancy?" 

About this time the commander at Memphis thought it 
necessary to suppress the circulation of an opposition news- 
paper, within the limits of the army lines ; but General 
Grant, respecting the principle laid down with regard to 
the liberty of the press, at once rescinded the order, as soon 
as he had been made aware of the fact. 



182 GENERAL GRANT 



CHAPTER XXn. 

THE LAKE PROVIDENCE CANAL. 

The success of a bayou canal in Missouri, near the vi- 
cinity of Island No. 10, induced the engineers on General 
Grant's staff to examine into the probable chances of suc- 
cess for a similar canal, from the bayous above Vicksburg 
to the bayous below the city. Captain F. E. Prime and , 
Colonel G. G. Pride made a reconnoissance along a portion 
of the route, and reported the practicability of the plan. 
General Grant therefore determined to try the project, if 
for no other purpose than to engage the enemy's attention 
while he matnred his own plans. Having more troops at 
Young's Point than could, at that moment, be there em- 
ployed to advantage, and knowing that Lake Providence 
was connected by Bayou Baxter with Bayou Macon, a nav- 
igable stream, he set the men to work upon the canal be- 
tween the Mississippi and the lake, so as to keep them 
from demoralizing idleness, and to divert the attention of 
the enemy. 

To a person studying the map it would seem a very fea- 
sible project to connect the Mississippi River with the lake, 
especially when the level of the former lay somewhat higher 
than that of the latter. The lake is situated in Carroll 
County, La., about one mile west of the Mississippi River, 
which without doubt originally flowed through its bed, but 
had changed its course during one of the many freaks of 
Nature by which the channel of that great stream had been 
turned aside from its primary path. The length of the 
lake is about six miles, and it is fed by the Bayou Macon 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 183 

and the Bayou Tensas. One point of the lake, which is 
half-moon shaped, approaches nearer to the Mississippi 
River than the other, and at this point the canal was cut. 
It was supposed by the engineers that a highway could be 
made from the Mississippi, seventy-five miles above Vicks- 
burg, through Lake Providence, thence by the bayous into 
the Tensas River, which falls into the Black River at Trin- 
ity, La. The Black River pursues its course and falls into 
the Red River, by three channels, at a point about thirty 
miles above the mouth of the latter, which opens into the 
Mississippi River at the northern limit of Point Coupee 
Parish, and at about fifty miles above the fortified position 
of Port Hudson. If this route had been made practicable, 
it would have opened a water communication between the 
positions above and below Vicksburg, and enabled Gen- 
eral Grant to co-operate with General Banks, who was 
preparing to invest Port Hudson. Under cover of this en- 
gineering movement, General Grant began moving his 
forces below the line of the city of Vicksburg, and occu- 
pied certain points a short distance inland from the Louisi- 
ana shore of the Mississippi River. 

The work of opening the Lake Providence route pro- 
gressed rapidly, and one steamer and a number of barges 
were taken through the canal ; but, about the middle of 
April, the Mississippi River began to fall with unusual ra- 
pidity, and the roads becoming passable between Milliken's 
Bend and New Carthage, the proposed water route was 
abandoned as unnecessary, and, with the low stage of water, 
mpracticable. 

It appears from General Grant's report of the capitula- 
tion of Vicksburg, that he had but little faith in the suc- 
cess of the Lake Providence scheme ; but was willing to 
allow the experiment to be tried, as it employed his men 
and covered his real movements from the enemy. 



]S4 GENERAL GRANT 



CHAPTER XXm. 

THE YAZOO PASS EXPEDITION. 

During February, 1863, a plan was proposed to open a 
closed up route of water travel between the Mississippi 
River and the Coldwater and Tallahatchie Rivers, through 
the Yazoo Pa*s. This pass had for many years been un- 
navigable, stagnant, dreary, and wild, and had been almost 
forgotten. The primary object of this expedition was to 
enable a few troops with some light draft gunboats to 
reach the upper part of the Yazoo River, for the purpose 
of destroying the enemy's transports ; but it was after- 
wards discovered that, when the snags and low timber had 
been cut away from that part of the water-course which had 
been so long closed, the navigation proved to be much bet- 
ter than was suspected. It was, therefore, deemed not 
impossible to use the route for a flank movement by water 
upon Haines's Bluff, which commanded the Yazoo River a 
short distance above the mouth. Had this plan been found 
practicable, a large body of troops would have been sent 
around by this route ; but for want of proper vessels for 
transportation, the force detailed was insufficient to clear the 
way throughout. 

On the 24th of February, 1863, the fleet entered the 
pass, after tearing down that part of the levee of the Mis- 
sissippi River that closed up the entrance ; and, by the 28 th, 
after a series of dangers, glow travelling, etc., the vessels 
arrived in the Coldwater River. Some idea of the nature 
of the work to be accomplished in opening up this route 



a:nd his campaigns. 185 

may be gathered from the following extracts, from a de- 
scription penned by one of the parties who took an active 
part in the expedition : 

UNITED STATES GUNBOAT MARMORA, ) 

CoLDWAilStt River, Miss., Ftb. 28, 18G3. J 
The Rubicon is passed. Three and a half days of most tedious, vexa- 
tious, bothersome, troublesome, and damaging steamboating lias brought 
ihis expedition twenty miles on its way, and disclosed to its view the end 
of the now famous Yazoo Pass. A more execrable place was never known. 
Should one propose to run a steamboat to the moon he would be consid- 
ered equally sane, by those who had seen the Yazoo Pass before this ex- 
pedition forced its way through it, as the person who proposed this 
movement. 

I would like to describe the Yazoo Pass. I would like to compare it to 
something that would be intelligible. But I know of nothing in heaven or 
on earth, or in the waters under the earth, that will compare with it. llad 
the immortal bard desired a subject from which to draw a picture of the way 
that leads to the realms of darkness and despair, he had only to picture the 
Yazoo Pass. Let me try, in the feeble language I can command, to de- 
scribe it. Perhaps the reader has passed through the Dismal Swamp of 
Yirginia; or, if not, he has read accounts of travellers who have enjoyed 
that privilege. Then he has heard of the famous jungles of India. He 
has seen or read of the unbroken silence of the boundless tall forests of the 
John Brown tract in "Western New York. Conceive the ugliest features of 
these three varieties of territory, and he will be able, by combining them, 
to form a tolerably correct idea of the region through which the Yazoo 
Pass runs. Those who have watched the course of a snake as he trails 
his way along the ground, winding this way and that, hither and yon- 
der, going in all directions at the same time, and yet maintaining some- 
thing of a regular course in the average, will, by exaggerating the picture 
in their own minds, understand something of the tortuous course of the 
Yazoo Pass. I have passed through it from one end to the other, and 1 
assert candidly that there is not throughout its entire length a piece 
two hundred feet long of perfectly straight river. The orders under 
which this expedition moved required that boats should keep three hun- 
dred yards apart; but there was no place to be found in the whole 
stream where they could see one-third of this distance ahead or behind 
them. Once, indeed, we did catch a glimpse of the Rattler, flagship. 
She was just abreast of us, and about one hundred yards away, going 



186 GENERAL GRANT 

in an opposite direction to us. "We fancied we were close on to her, and, 
as it was near night, concluded to tie up, so as to let her get away from 
us. The next morning we got under way at daylight, and just as the 
sun was at the meridian we passed the spot where we had seen our file 
leader eighteen hours before. 

Much has been said and writfen of the efforts put forth by the rebels 
to obstruct this pass. Their labor was all thrown away. Nature had 
placed greater obstructions in the way than any an enemy could place 
there, no matter how powerful he might have been or how long he had 
been employed. Cypress and sycamore trees lined the banks in great 
profusion, intermixed with gigantic cotton-woods bearing "the wildest 
entanglement of wild grape-vines. The stream itself is never to exceed 
a hundred feet in breadth, and frequently not more than fifty or seven- 
ty-five. Over this the timber forms a most perfect arch, frequently, as 
good fortune would have it, so high as to admit the easy passage of the 
tall smokestacks beneath it, but sometimes grazing their tops, and again 
angrily toppling over these intruders. But Providence evidently did 
not intend this pass for a military highway. Providence opposed the 
movement, not so much by this high arch enclosing the river and shut- 
ting it out from view, as by the long, jagged limbs it thrust out from 
the trees directly across the channel, and the numerous crooked and 
leaning trees that formed a most effective blockade. 

It may be possible, from what I have written, to get an idea of the 
Yazoo Pass. A 6hort account of the trip through it will be more profit- 
able for this purpose. The total length of the pass from the Mississippi 
to the Coldwater River is twenty miles. From the Mississippi to the 
east side of Moon Lake, where the pass proper commences, is called 
eight miles, leaving the distance from Moon Lake to the Coldwater 
twelve miles. "We left the lake on Wednesday morning, the 25th inst., 
and reached the Coldwater this afternoon just after dinner, making the 
trip in exactly three days and a half I To be sure, we did not travel 
nights, but we made, usually, about twelve hours time each day. This 
gives the rapid progress of one mile in three and a half hours. Does 
the progress made express any thing of the character of the route ? If 
it does not, I hardly know what will. In the upper end of the pass the 
stream is confined, and runs along with great rapidity through its nar- 
row channel, the rate being not less than five or six miles per hour. 
Lower down there are strips of bottom-land along the sides which are 
now overflown, giving greater width, and consequently less rapidity to 
the current. But in no place were we able even to drift with the cur- 



AXD HIS CAMPAIGNS. 187 

rent. That would inevitably have dashed us into the timber and have torn 
our boat to atoms. From the time we entered the pass until we emerged 
from it, we could only keep our wheels backing, and even this was not 
enough. A small boat was requisite on either side, by which hues were 
passed out and made fast to the trees, to check our headway or ease 
us around the sharp bend3. The expedition has been facetiously called 
"the stern-wheel expedition," from the circumstance of there being 
none but stern-wheel boats (which are narrower than side-wheel 
steamers) engaged in it; but it might with equal propriety be called "the 
back-water expedition," or "the hold-back expedition," because of our 
advancing only by holding back. 

But with all our care and labor, it has been impossible to save our 
boats from much damage. Frequently it was impossible to check the 
headway of a vessel in time to save its smokestacks, and away would 
go these tall iron cylinders, crashing through the hurricane deck, and 
making a complete wreck of the cabin and light upper works. Again a 
huge limb would come crashing and smashing along the side, tearing away 
stanchions and braces, and sometimes even the light bulkheads around 
the upper works. The flagship was thus visited, and Acting Commander 
Smith's cabin turned into a complete wreck. In fact, all the vessels looked 
as if they had been in a hard fought battle and had been badly worsted, 
only that none of them were damaged in machinery or hull. It has been a 
most exciting trip ; but I believe or hear all have survived it save one 
poor old nigger — a contraband — belonging to this vessel. He was ly- 
ing in his hammock, in the sick bay, being on the sick list, when a huge 
limb, broken off by the persistence of our smokestacks, came linvn 
endwise upon the deck, and, passing through, administered the death 
blow to poor Cuffee. 

COLDWATER River, March 3, 18G3. 
"We are progressing towards our destination, though slowly. To-day 
we have made about six miles down stream, and are now catching our 
breath after this rapid locomotion, preparatory to an early start to- 
morrow morning. The Coldwater River is but a slight improvemeut on 
the Tazoo Pass. It is a trifle wider, it is true — so wide, in fact, that 
the branches seldom meet above it — but in other respects we have 
gained nothing, so far as ease of navigation is concerned. Rather we 
have lost as much as we have gained, since the increased width of the 
stream is quite counterbalanced by the sluggishness of the current 
The course of the stream is nearly as tortuous as that of the pass, so 



188 GENERAL GRANT 

that we cannot yet venture to steam ahead, and as floating and backing 
up continues to be the order, the progress made is provokingly slow. 

Since my last date we have lain quiet at the mouth of the pass, waiting 
for all the boats to come up. This detained us until this morning, when 
we once more started forward.* 

The rebels had, however, gained information of the Union 
movement through Yazoo Pass ; but at first scouted the 
idea of its success, prophesying the destruction of every 
vessel connected with the expedition. When, however, 
they ascertained that the fleet had safely arrived in the 
Coldwater River, they, knowing that the other part of the 
stream was navigable, at once began diligently closing up 
the lower end of the Tallahatchie River, into which the 
Coldwater empties itself. This was accomplished by erect- 
ing a fort across the neck of land caused by a change of 
course of the stream after the Yalabusba had formed a 
junction with the Tallahatchie. These united waters were 
named the Yazoo River, which, after flowing through 
several hundred miles of country, empties itself into the 
Mississippi River a little above Vicksburg. 

The advance of the expedition under General Ross pro- 
ceeded without serious interruption through the Coldw r ater 
and Tallahatchie Rivers until it reached this newly erected 
fort, which was designated Fort remberton — it having 
been constructed by some of the forces that had been sent 
from Vicksburg for that purpose. At the point where the 
fort was erected, the distance from the Tallahatchie shores 
above the defences, to the Yazoo shores below that work, 
was but a few hundred yards by land, but was several 
miles by water. The fort, having been built across the 
neck, commanded both streams for a long distance. The 
rebels had well chosen their defensive position, as the 
land about the fort was low, and at the time of the 

* Correspondence of the New York Herald, March 14th, 1863. 



A3TD HIS CAMPAIGNS. 189 

expedition was entirely overflowed. General Ross, there- 
fore, in attacking this work, conld not make use of his land 
forces to reduce it, and had to depend on the armed vessels 
under his command. After an engagement of several hours, 
these vessels had to withdraw without silencing the bat- 
tery. 

Finding that this obstruction prevented the water route 
from being used by the army, General Grant, on March 
23d, sent 'orders for the withdrawal of the forces. 

One advantage, how T ever, arose from the movement. It 
caused a diversion of a portion of the rebel force at Vicks- 
buro\ and engaged the attention of the rebel authorities 
while General Grant was perfecting his own plans. 



190 GENERAL GRANT 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

the Steele's bayou expedition. . 

Admiral Porter, having made a naval reconnoissance up 
Steele's Bayou, and through Black Bayou to Duck Creek, 
returned to General Grant, and on March 14th, 1862, in- 
formed him that those water-courses were navigable for 
small gunboats and light draft transports. It was sup- 
posed that by following this route Deer Creek could be 
navigated to Rolling Fork, and thence by the Sunflower 
River into the Yazoo. Of the navigation of these two latteT 
streams there was no doubt. 

As the forces by way of the Coldwater and Tallahatchie 
Rivers had been prevented from proceeding further in conse- 
quence of the construction of Fort Pemberton, it was deem- 
ed necessary to ascertain whether this new route could be 
made practicable. General Grant, therefore, accompanied 
Admiral Porter on the morning of March 15th on another 
reconnoissance. The vessel in which the two commanding 
officers had temporarily taken up their head-quarters, pro- 
ceeded along Steele's Bayou — several iron-clads taking the 
lead to prevent a surprise — until it reached the Black 
Bayou. General Grant then returned to Young's Point, 
for the purpose of sending up a pioneer corps to clear 
away the overhanging trees, which appeared to be the 
only important obstruction to the successful navigation 
of the route, at least so far as it had been explored. 

Soon after General Grant had reached Young's Point, a 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 191 

message was received from Admiral Porter, who had pro- 
ceeded on the reconnoissance, requesting the co-operation 
of a good military force. General Grant promptly sent to 
him a division of the Fifteenth Army Corps, with General 
Sherman at its head. The number of steam transports 
suitable for such an expedition being limited, the major 
part of the military force was sent up the Mississippi River 
to Eagle Bend, a point where the river runs within a mile 
of Steele's Bayou, 

The only cause of the failure of this expedition was the 
want of knowledge of the country to be passed through, 
and this ignorance led the expedition on until it encoun- 
tered serious difficulties, which could not be removed with- 
out great delay. This gave the rebels time to place ob- 
structions in the way of further progress, and the movement 
had to be abandoned when within a few hundred yards of 
a point, which, if attained, would have secured complete 
success. 

The following is an interesting account of the expedition, 
from an eye witness : 



ve, ) 
21. f 



U. S. Transport Silver Wave, 
Black Bayou, Miss., March 
On the 16th inst., late in the afternoon, General Grant ordered Gene- 
ral Stuart to prepare the infantry of his division to move at daylight 
next morning. Leaving transportation, horses, tents, and every thing 
except ammunition, arms, and rations, the division embarked and pro- 
ceeded up the Mississippi to Eagle Bend. A few days before the em- 
barkation, Admiral Porter and General Grant had made a personal 
reconnoissance of a proposed route to the Yazoo above Haines's Bluff, 
and General Sherman was ordered by General Grant to take charge of 
the opening of the route. General Sherman, with the pioneer corps of 
Stuart's Division and the Eighth Missouri, left at once with the steamer 
Diligent. In the evening General Grant received dispatches from Ad- 
miral Porter, announcing that his gunboats were meeting with great 
success, and asking that the land force be sent at once. Grant imme- 
diately ordered General Stuart to proceed with his division. The dis- 



192 GENERAL GRANT 

tanco by land from the Mississippi, along the Muddy Bayou, is about 
one mile. On account of the impossibility of taking any thing but small 
steamers, of which we had but rive, through Steele's Bayou, the infantry 
was ordered to cross by this route to the bayou. On reaching Eagle 
Bend, a personal examination of the ground, made by Generals Stuart 
and Ewing, disclosed the fact that two long bridges were necessary to 
the movement of troops. The levee near the plantation of Senator 
Gwin had been carried away by a crevasse, and the water was rushing 
across Ins fields in a rapid torrent of considerable depth. The building 
of the bridges occupied a day and a half. Soon as it was completed, 
the division marched across to Steele's Bayou. General Stuart at once 
embarked so much of the First Brigade as could be transported upon the 
steamer Silver Wave, and started up through the wilderness of forest 
and water. 

Between the Mississippi and the line of railway from Memphis to 
Jackson, the country north of the Yazoo, for some fifty miles, is trav- 
ersed by three considerable streams, Steele's Bayou, Deer Creek, and 
the Sunflower, all of which are fed by innumerable creeks, bayous, 
and lakes, and empty into the Yazoo — Steele's seven miles from the 
Mississippi, near the scene of the battle of Chickasaw Bayou; Deer 
Creek below, and the Sunflower above Haines's Bluff. Their course, 
as is that of all streams through low and level ground, is very tortuous, 
very like the streams in the wild marshes. Transform the reeds of such 
marshes into the luxuriant growth of a Southern swamp, and a better 
idea could not be had of the wet wilderness in which Ave were. The 
eastern part of Issaguena county, on Deer Creek, has higher land, and 
some of the most valuable cotton plantations in the State. The soil is 
exceedingly prolific. We found in it immense numbers of slaves, and 
great quantities of cotton and grain. The Admiral called it one of the 
granaries of the Confederacy. 

It was supposed to be so inaccessible, that the plantations were in the 
usual process of cultivation, the fields planted with corn, which was 
up, instead of cotton. They believed themselves beyond the reach of 
the devastations of war — had their gardens well stocked with vegeta- 
bles, which were growing most temptingly, and, fancying that " the in- 
vader" could not penetrate, with gunboats and armies, the lagoons and 
forests which surrounded them, devoted their fancied security to the 
raising of crops to feed their brother rebels in the field. The appear- 
ance of the iron-elads was the first notice they had had of our approach. 
The overseer hastily fled, giving notice of the presence of the Yankees 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 193 

m the garden. A contraband told us, his master called the Deer Creek 
country the Confederate snuff-box, that the Yankees could not open. 

Going up the Yazoo river seven miles, thence up Steele's Bayou 
twelve miles, the fleet came to Muddy Bayou, which runs across from 
the Mississippi into Steele's. At this point the troops came over on 
floating bridges and embarked. Hence they were transported up 
Steele's and Black Bayou about twenty miles to Hill's plantation, and 
marched thence twenty-one miles on a levee north along Deer Creek 
nearly to Rolling Fork. It was proposed at that point to embark the 
troops again on transports, and proceed on that creek a distance Oi 
seven miles, until we reached the Sunflower. Once upon the Sun- 
flower, a stream of considerable width, we could reach the Yazoo, be- 
tween Haines's Bluff and Yazoo City, and would be in a position to ope- 
rate against the enemy at various points with great effect. So much 
for the object of the expedition and the route through which it was to 
pass. 

General Grant and Admiral Porter, with the Musquito Rattler, and a 
tug, made a reconnoissance far enough to establish the fact that gun- 
boats could pass from the Yazoo into Steele's Bayou. Admiral Porter 
immediately started with his gunboats up the Bayou. General Grant 
ordered General Sherman, with a division of his army corps, to form 
the laud force. General Sherman started at once with a regiment, and 
the pioneer corps, to clear the bayou of obstructions — there was no de- 
lay. The reconnoissance was made on the 15th, General Grant's tug 
returning the morning of the 16th. Before night the advance of the 
land force and gunboats were at Muddy Bayou. Dispatches were re- 
ceived by General Grant that evening of the progress of the expedition, 
and General Stuart was ordered to follow with the rest of the division 
in the morning. Arriving at Eagle Bend on the 17th, a reconnoissance 
in small boats, made by General Suart and his brigade commanders, and 
another made twenty miles above, at Tullahola, by Colonel Giles A. 
Smith, demonstrated that the troops could not be marched across, a 
crevasse having swollen the Muddy Bayou to a rapid deep stream. The 
construction of two long floating bridges occupied the 18th and the fore- 
noon of the 19th, and the division marched at once to Steele's Bayou. 
Arriving there, we found only one transport, the Silver Wave. Embark- 
ing two regiments, Stuart started up at once. During the three succeed- 
ing days, the boats which we had were used with all the dispatch possible, 
in transporting the troops to the rendezvous. At the mouth of Black Bayou 
they were transported from the steamers to a coal-barge, which was towed 
9 



194 



GENERAL GBAXT 



by a tug up Black Bayou. In the mean time the gunboats had gone 
through Biack Bayou into Deer Creek. The great might and strength 
of the iron-clads enabled them to ride over almost any ordinary growth 
of willow and cypress in the creek — the water was deep, and they 
moved slowly and surely along up Deer Creek some fifteen miles, with- 
out much labor, and without any obstruction from the enemy. On the 
20th, the rebels commenced annoying them with sharp-shooters, and by 
felling trees in the creeks. The boats were obliged to lay by at night, 
and on the morning of the 21st, the Admiral found considerable obstruc- 
tions in the river, and an enemy, some 600 strong, with a field battery of 
rifles, disputing his passage. This was near some old Indian mounds, and 
for the greater part of the day they were kept quite busy, making but 
a half mile progress. 

Large bodies were kept a good distance from the fleet, but sharp- 
shooters would come up behind trees and fire, taking deliberate, aim 
at our men. The Admiral sent a dispatch back to General Sherman, 
stating the condition of affairs, and a force was at once sent to tho 
relief of the gunboats, and to assist in getting them through. They 
made a forced march, skirmishing a part of the way, and reaching the 
gunboats before night of the 22d, a distance of twenty-one miles, over a 
terrible road. During the day the enemy had been largely re-enforced 
from the Yazoo, and now unmasked some 5,000 men — infantry, cavalry, 
and artillery. The boats were surrounded with rebels, who had cut down 
trees before and behind them, were moving up artillery, and making 
every exertion to cut off retreat and capture our boats. A patrcl was at 
once established for a distance of seven miles along Deer Creek, behind 
the boats, with a chain of sentinels outside of them, to prevent the fell- 
ing of trees. For a mile and a half to Rolling Fork, the creek was full 
of obstructions. Heavy batteries were on its bank, supported by a large 
force. To advance was impossible ; to retreat seemed almost hopeless. 
The gunboats had their ports all closed, and preparations nfede to re- 
sist boarders. The mortar-boats were all ready for fire and explosion. 
The army lines were so close to each other that rebel officers wander- 
ed into our lines in the dark, and were captured. It was the second 
night without sleep aboard ship, and the infantry had marched twenty- 
one miles without rest. '"'But the faithful force, with their energetic 
leader, kept successful watch and ward over the boats and their 
valuable artillery. At 7 o'clock that morning (the 2 2d), General Sher- 
man received a dispatch from the Admiral, by the hands of a faithful 
contraband (who came along through the rebel fines in th« night), 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS 19f. 

6tating his perilous condition. Leaving a dispatch for General Stuart, 
who was bringing up Ewing's Brigade, and orders for Stuart to follow 
him with the remainder of the division, General Sherman at once march- 
ed with the Second Brigade, and a part of the First Brigade. Our gunboats 
at that time were in a bend of the creek, the three regiments of the First 
Brigade had been brought in and placed in position near the boats. A 
rebel battery of fifteen guns was in front, at Rolling Fork. The creek 
was barely the width of a gunboat — the boats were so close up that only 
one bow gun apiece of four could be used, and then at an inconvenient 
angle — in fact, in only one position — and the broadsides of several were 
useless on account of the bank. Our immense superiority of metal was 
thus rendered almost useless for the purpose of engaging an enemy that 
was endeavoring to encircle the Admiral's boats. If his rear was gained, 
their superior numbers could board the first or the last boat, and, 
having captured her. use her guns with fearful effect on the others. 

About mid-day the enemy commenced moving upon us, with the pur- 
pose of reaching the bank of the creek below the gunboats and below 
the infantry. General Sherman was some six miles distant. The rebels 
are believed to have advanced with about 4,000 men. It must be borne 
in mind that our troops were on a belt of land which forms the bank of 
the creek, of not great width, back of which the bottom land was under 
water and impassable. The rebels came down with the intention of 
turning his right and reaching the creek below. The gunboats and four 
mortars opened upon them, as soon as they discovered themselves in 
bodies. This firing embarrassed their movements and considerably 
retarded them. They debouched through the wood and became engaged 
with the skirmishers. The fight was beginning to be in earnest, but the 
rebels were gaining ground. The object was not a battle, but to pass by 
our forces. The first firing of the gunboats was heard by General 
Sherman near the Shelby plantation. He urged his troops forward, and 
after an hour's hard marching, the advance, deployed as skirmishers, 
came upon a body of the enemy who had passed by the force which had 
been engaged. Immediately engaging them, the enemy stood a while 
disconcerted by the unexpected attack, fought a short time, and gave 
way. Our forces pressed them, driving them back some two miles. The 
gunboats opened upon them thus hemmed in, and the day was ours. 
The rebels retreated, and the gunboats were saved for that clay. Our 
loss was but one killed and none wounded. The loss of the rebels was 
heavy. One shell from a mortar killed twenty-six, as they were rallying 
as skirmishers. Another is statod to have killed and wounded forty 



196 GENERAL GRANT 

persons. They suffered very much, but, as we did not attempt to occupy 
the field, it cannot be ascertained. It being obvious that further advance 
was impracticable, the boats at once commenced moving backward, and 
made several miles that evening. 

The next effort of the rebels was to pass around our lines in the after- 
noon and night, and throw their whole force still further below us. Gen- 
eral Stuart, with four regiments, marched on Hill's plantation the same 
morning, having run his transports in the night, and immediately ad- 
vanced one regiment up Deer Creek, and another still further to the 
right. The rebels, who were making a circuit about General Sherman, 
thus found the whole line occupied, and abandoned the attempt to cut 
off the gunboats for that day. During the afternoon the troops and 
gunboats all arrived at Hill's plantation. Eebel scouts followed them 
withiu two miles of the division head-quarters. During the night the 
picket about one-half mile out was attacked by a squadron of cavalry, 
It immediately, upon the return of their fire, fell back. In the afternoon 
of the next day, another regiment was attacked by three regiments of 
infantry and a squadron of cavalry. Acting under instructions to draw 
them on, and to develop their whole force, a skirmish ensued, but they 
refused to follow. The enemy, the night before, landed a steamer and 
two flatboats, loaded with troops and artillery, about six miles above. We 
remained two days at Hill's plantation, waiting for the rebels to prepare ; 
but they would not give or receive battle. We embarked on the trans- 
ports and gunboats, and returned. The troops, gunboats, ammunition, 
and supplies, with a considerable quantity of cotton and fifty good mules, 
are all safe, and approaching Young's Point, as I write. 

There were destroyed by our troops and by the rebels at least 2,000 
bales of cotton, 50,000 bushels of corn, and the gins and houses of the 
plantations whoso owners had obstructed our progress, and joined in the 
warfare. The resources of the country we found ample to subsist the 
army at Vicksburg for some length of time, and by the destruction of 
them we crippled the enemy so far. 

There were features about this expedition novel and exciting. 

Black Bayou, a narrow stream heretofore, only navigated by dug- 
outs, was made of the width of our steamers, with great labor of felling 
trees and sawing stumps below the surface. Every foot of our way 
was cut and torn through a dense forest, never before traversed by 
steamers. I never witnessed a more exciting and picturesque scene 
than the transportation, on the last day, of the Third Brigade, by General 
Stuart. Crowded with men, the steamer, at the highest possible speed, 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 



]97 



pushed through overhanging trees and around short curves. Some- 
times wedged fast between trees, then sailing along smoothly, a huge 
cypress would reach out an arm and sweep the whole length of the 
boats, tearing guards and chimneys from the decks. The last trip 
through the Black Bayou was iu a night pitchy dark and rainy. 

While the adventure was of uncertain success — when the result 
seemed almost accomplished, and when our gunboats were surrounded 
with an enemy confident of victory, and their extrication seemed almost 
an impossibility — officers and men worked with equal alacrity, whether 
in building bridges or making forced marches, both by day and in the 
night. The whole time was used in labor — constant and severe. It 
seems almost a miracle that the boats were saved. If Generals Sher- 
man and Stuart, by their utmost exertions and labor, had forwarded 
their troops a single half day later, if the second forced march under 
General Sherman had been retarded a single hour, in all human proba- 
bility the whole force would have been lost.* 

All these expeditions proved to be excellent feints to 
distract the enemy's attention ; but there is no doubt that 
if they had succeeded, one of them would have been 
adopted, and might not have produced so glorious a result 
as the final campaign and plans which General Grant had 
himself laid out. In fact, he states in his report, that the 
failure of these expeditions " may have been providential 
in driving him ultimately to a line of operations which has 
proven eminently successful." 

The losses inflicted on the enemy in the destruction of 
supplies, and the withdrawal of certain portions of his 
garrison to meet the expeditionary movements were of 
inestimable value to General Grant in his final Vicksburg 
campaign. 

♦Correspondence of the Chicago Tribune, April 1863. 



198 GENEBAL GRANT 



CHAPTER XXV. 

TDE HEALTH OF THE ARMY. 

It has often been stated by generals in the field, that 
they had far less dread of the enemy in their front than 
they had of their friends at home. A slight word of 
alarm, uttered by the latter in a careless moment, would 
soon be increased until it became a perfect panic. While 
General Grant was engaged in the before described expe- 
ditions, letters to friends wero for a time prohibited, to 
prevent information reaching the enemy through a mail 
captured by guerillas ; and this absence of regular communi- 
cation between those in the army and their friends at home, 
led the latter to believe that the former were sick. An 
interchange of such news between the friends of various 
absentees, and the return of a few invalids, settled it as a 
matter of fact that the whole army was dying of disease. 

An official inquiry was at once, made by the Surgeon- 
in-chief, and General Grant, under date of March Gth, 1863, 
wrote to Surgeon-General Hammond, as follows : 

No army ever went into the field better provided with medical 
stores and attendance than is furnished to the army before Vicksbnrg. 
There was a deficiency in volunteer surgeons, but that is now supplied. 
The hospital boats are supplied with their own surgeons, nurses, and 
every thing for the comfort of the sick. The purveyor's department 
not only has every thing furnished the sick, but more than it ever 
dreamed of was furnished to the army, and more than the great majority 
of men could have at home. Then, too, there is not that amount of 
sickness that persons would be led to believe, from the statements in 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 109 

Ine pablic prints. T question whether the health of the St. Louis force 
is better than that of this command. On my arrival here, the men who 
had to put up with straw for so long a time, and then with camping on 
low ground and in the most terrible weather ever experienced, there was 
for a time, of necessity, a great number of sick. 

TJ. S. Grant, Major-General. 

The foregoing letter was informal ; but shortly after Gen- 
eral Grant sent, in answer to the official inquiry, the follow- 
ing document for registry in the departmental offices at 
Washington : 

Head-Quarters, Department op the Tennessee, ) 
before Vicksbdrg, March 12, 1863. j 

Brigadier-General W. A. Hammond, Surgeon- General, United States 
Army. 
Sir: — Surgeon J. R. Smith's letter of the 20th of February is just 
received, inquiring into the sanitary condition of this •command, and 
asking for suggestious for its improvement. / know a great deal 
has been said to impress the public generally, and officials particularly, 
with the idea, that this army was in a suffering condition, and mostly from 
neglect. This is most erroneous. The health of this command will, I ven- 
ture to say, compare favorably with that of any army in the field, and 
every preparation is made for the sick that could be desired. 

I will refer Surgeon Smith's letter to my medical director for a 
fuller report of the condition of the medical department here. 
I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

U. S. Grant, Major- General. 

General Grant, desirous of having a good supply of sani- 
tary stores, and to provide for the proper transportation 
and care of the same, issued the following order on the 
date specified. 

Head-Quarters, Department of the Tennessee, ) 
Young's Point, La., March 27, 1863. [ 

[Special Orders, No. 86.] 

I. The Quartermaster's Department will provide and furnish a suita- 
ble steamboat, to be called the " United States Sanitary Store Boat," and 
put the same in charge of the TJ. S. Sanitary Commission, to be used by 
it exclusively for the conveyance of goods calculated to prevent disease 



200 GENERAL GRANT 

— and supplement the government supply of stores for the relief of the 
sick and wounded. 

II. No person will be permitted to travel on said boat, except sick 
officers of the Army and Navy (and they only on permits from their 
proper commanding officers), discharged soldiers, and employes of said 
Sanitary Commission, and no goods whatever for trading or commercial 
purposes will be carried on said boat, and no goods will be taken for in- 
dividuals, or with any conditions which will prevent their being deliv- 
ered to those most needing them in the Army or Navy. 

III. The contents of all packages to be shipped on said U. S. Sanita- 
ry Store Boat, will be inspected before shipment by an agent of said 
Sanitary Commission, at the point of shipment, unless an invoice of their 
contents has been received, the correctness of which is assured by the 
signature of some person of known loyalty and integrity. A statement, 
showing what goods have been placed on board at each trip, will bo 
Bent to the Medical Director of the Department at these head-quarters. 

IV. A weekly statement will also be made by said Sanitary Commis- 
sion to the Department Medical Director, showing what sanitary supplies 
have been issued by said commission, and to whom issued. 

Y. All orders authorizing the free transportation of sanitary stores 
from Cairo south, on boats other than the one herein provided for, aro 
heroby rescinded. 

By order of Major-General U. S. Grant. 

John A. Rawlins, A. A.-Q. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 201 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

THE OVERLAND MOVEMENTS. — RUNNING THE BATTERIES. 

It having been plainly manifested to General Grant that 
all the former operations would not reach the desired end, 
he at once determined to move his forces below Vicks- 
burg on the Louisiana shore, so as to take the rebel works 
in the rear. On the 29th of March, 1863, the movement 
commenced ; the Thirteenth Corps taking the lead, followed 
by the Seventeenth and Fifteenth, while to the Sixteenth 
Corps was left the charge of the communications and sup- 
plies. 

Shortly before this, Admiral Farragut had run by the 
batteries at Port Hudson with his flag-ship, the Hartford, 
and her tender, the Albatross; and on March 17th was ly- 
ing off Natchez, Miss. On March 21st the Hartford arrived 
off Vicksburg, and anchoring below the batteries, communi- 
cated with Admiral Porter and General Grant. 

On the 25th of March, the U. S. rams Lancaster and 
Switzerland attempted to run by the batteries at Vicksburg, 
but were so crippled in the attempt that the former was 
sunk and the latter temporarily disabled. The rams had 
been made by altering river steamboats, and were far too 
light to withstand the shock of a heavy fire from such bat- 
teries as those at Vicksburg. 

Two days after this event Admiral Farragut, with the 
Hartford, engaged the batteries at Warrenton, and sue 
ceeded in passing below them en route for the Red River. 
9* 



202 GENERAL GRANT 

On the 1st of April he engaged the batteries at Grand 
Gulf, and passed farther down the river with the Albatross 
and Switzerland in his company, arriving at the mouth of 
the Red River on the evening of April 2d. 

In the mean time the army kept on the move, and on the 
30th of March, Richmond, a village of Madison county, 
La., and on a direct line with Vicksburg, a few miles in- 
land from the Mississippi River, was taken possession of 
by a portion of the Thirteenth Army Corps, who drove 
out the rebel cavalry after two hours sharp fighting. The 
Corps then pushed on towards New Carthage. The roads, 
although level, were in a very bad condition, and the march 
was necessarily slow and tedious. It was important that 
supplies and ammunition should travel with this corps, 
and consequently the movements were considerably delayed, 
as it became at times necessary to drag the wagons by 
hand. 

When the corps was within two miles of New Carthage, 
it was found that, in consequence of the recent floods and 
the breaking of the levee of Bayou Vidal, that place was 
isolated, and located on an island. Boats were collected 
from the neighboring bayous, and barges were built ; but by 
this method the progress of the army was too slow for the 
purpose intended. The corps was therefore marched to 
Perkins's plantation, twelve miles below New Carthage, 
and thirty-five miles from the point of starting. Over these 
thirty-five miles supplies and ordnance stores had to be 
transported ; and as the roads were soft and spongy, owing 
to the floods, the labor of this movement is almost incon- 
ceivable. Provisions and ammunition had to be hauled in 
wagons, and until a sufficient quantity had reached the camp 
near the Mississippi River, below Vicksburg, it would have 
been impossible to have commenced a campaign, if a suc- 
cessful issue was to be desired. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 203 

While these army movements were in progress, Admiral 
Porter was not idle ; but was engaged in making prepara- 
tions for the running of transports and gunboats by the 
batteries at Vicksburg, so as to be able to co-operate with 
General Grant, and transport his troops from the Louisiana 
shore of the river to the Mississippi side. Until this was 
accomplished, the troops were no nearer reducing Vicks- 
burg than they would have been at Young's Point or Mil- 
liken's Bend. 

On the night of the 16th of April, Admiral Porter's fleet 
and three transports ran by the batteries at Vicksburg, and 
all but one succeeded in passing without being too much 
injured for service. These injuries were soon after repaired 
under the direction of Admiral Porter. 

The success of this enterprise induced General Grant to 
send six more transports down the river, the fleet 1 elow 
being ready to receive them on their arrival. Volunteers 
were called for to man the transports, and a large number of 
men and officers tendered their services to take the vessels 
through on this dangerous trip. The enthusiasm of the 
volunteers for this expedition has scarcely ever been ex- 
ceeded during the war. Five out of the six vessels arrived, 
on April 22d, safely below the batteries. 

The transports injured in running this blockade were re- 
paired by order of Admiral Porter, who was supplied with 
the material for such repairs as they required. The army 
supplied the requisite artisans and mechanics, and in a very 
short time five of the transports were in running order, and 
the remainder were in condition to be used as barges for 
the removal of troops. Twelve barges loaded with forage 
and rations were sent in tow of the six transports that 
passed the batteries on the 2 2d, and of these barges one- 
half got through in a condition to be used. 



204 GENERAL GRANT 



CHAPTER XXVH. 

grierson's expedition. 

Before leaving the north side of Vicksburg, to take 
command of his army in person, General Grant determined 
to cut all the enemy's communications with that city, so as 
to secure his forces from an attack in the rear, should it be- 
come necessary to invest the place. He therefore detailed 
the First Cavalry Brigade, under Colonel B. H. Grierson, to 
this duty. On April 17th, 1863, this force left La Grange, 
Tenn., at about two o'clock in the morning, and after trav- 
elling a distance of thirty miles along the turnpike road, 
encamped within four miles of Ripley, Miss. 

At eight o'clock the next morning the force was again 
on the march, and passing through Ripley moved south- 
wardly toward New Albany. One battalion occupied the 
place, while the main body passed to the east, but all en- 
camped about four miles south of New Albany. 

Before leaving Ripley a part of the force, under Colonel 
Hatch, was detached to march on the left flank of the col- 
umn, and taking a southeasterly direction, crossed the Tal- 
lahatchie about five miles northeast of New Albany. 

It was impossible for a large force to move through the 
enemy's country without meeting some of the foe ; and as 
a natural result, skirmishing took place all along the route, 
and several prisoners were taken. Atone time the advance 
was engaged with the pickets of Chalmers's rebel brigade, 
but the latter was soon overpowered, and the main body of 
the rebels retreated. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 205 

The rebels attempted to fire the bridge at New Albany ; 
but so rapid was Colonel Grierson's advance, that his forces 
were across the river before they could accomplish their 
purpose. 

It now became necessary to mislead the enemy as to the 
actual destination of the main body; therefore, on April 
19th, Colonel Grierson ordered a portion of his force to 
march back to New Albany, thence by Kingsbridge, where 
a rebel camp was said to be in existence. A second force 
he ordered east, and a third northwest, while the main body 
marched due south. It had been raining all the previous 
night ; consequently this day's march was performed under 
great difficulties. The centre column then proceeded to 
Pontotoc, where a small rebel force was dispersed, and their 
camp equipage and a quantity of salt seized and destroyed. 
At eight o'clock that evening the command encamped six 
miles south of Pontotoc on the road to Houston. 

On the 20th, a portion of the force was detached and sent 
back to La Grange with the prisoners and captured bag- 
gage. They were ordered to make as much noise in re- 
turning as possible, so as to give the rebels the idea that 
the expedition was over, while in fact the main body 
would still proceed south. This feint succeeded admi- 
rably. 

The next day another force was detached, under Colonel 
Hatch, and ordered to destroy as much as possible of the 
Mobile and Ohio Railroad ; to attack Columbus near the 
State line, between Mississippi and Alabama, and then to 
march back to La Grange. In this Colonel Hatch was suc- 
cessful, and the movement drew off General Chalmers's 
rebel forces from following Colonel Grierson, thus giving 
him three days fresh start. 

The main body next moved to Starkville, where they 
captured and destroyed a rebel mail. After travelling four 



206 



GENERAL GRANT 



miles further, the command divided ; one-half swimming the 
Dismal Swamp to destroy a tannery, which at the time 
contained a very large stock of boots and shoes, saddles, 
bridles, and several thousand dollars worth of leather ; the 
other half proceeding on its course. 

The command being again united, it pushed on towards 
Louisville, Miss. This part of the march was of the most 
dangerous character, as streams and blind marshes had 
to be crossed without any guide. Sometimes the horses 
would sink in the mud and be left to perish, and it is won- 
derful that some of the men did not share the same fate. 
Notwithstanding the horrible nature of this route, the 
men preserved their fortitude, and pushed on vigorous- 
ly for Philadelphia, Miss., where another mail was de- 
stroyed. Private property, however, was in all cases 
respected. 

On April 23d, the force pushed on to the Southern Rail- 
road at Newton, moving by way of Decatur, and arrived 
at the former place about daylight on the 24th. Here two 
trains, bound to Vicksburg, via Jackson, were captured, 
and the whole thirty-eight cars, with the loads of quarter- 
master, commissary, and ordnance stores destroyed. The 
locomotives were also rendered useless. Several bridges 
and a quantity of trestlework were destroyed in this vicin- 
ity, after which, on the 25th, the raiding force moved to- 
wards Montrose, thence to Raleigh, Miss., where they 
encamped for the night. 

At this time the rebels were close upon Colonel Grier- 
son's heels, on ascertaining which, he moved over the Leaf 
River, destroying the bridge behind him, and then marched 
to Westville. Here two battalions were detached, and 
made a forced march to Hazlehurst station, on the Jackson 
and New Orleans Railroad, where they destroyed forty 
cars, four of which were loaded with shell and ammunition, 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 20 7 

and the remainder with quartermaster and commissary- 
stores. 

A detachment also made a raid upon Enterprise, on the 
Mobile and Ohio railroad, and thus diverting the enemy's 
attention from the movements of the main body. 

When near Gallatin, the cavalry captured and spiked a 
thirty-two pound Parrot gun, which the rebels were haul- 
ins: towards Vicksburfj. 

A detachment was next ordered to Bahala, on the Jack- 
son and New Orleans Railroad, where thev destroyed sev- 
eral miles of track and telegraph wire, a number of cars, 
water-tanks, and a considerable amount of government 
property. 

On the morning of April 28th, the advance arrived at 
Brookhaven, where it surprised a body of rebels, taking 
about two hundred prisoners. Here a camp of instruction, 
about five hundred tents, and a large supply of small arms 
were destroyed. 

Colonel Grierson, after making feints of moving towards 
Port Gibson and Natchez, marched, on April 30th, along 
the New Orleans and Jackson Railroad, destroying all the 
bridges between Brookhaven and Bogue Chito station. At 
the latter place, a number of loaded cars were found and 
destroyed. He next moved on to Summit, where he de- 
stroyed another train of cars. 

The Union cavalry force then passed along the country 
road towards Clinton, and on their way met a body of 
rebel cavalry, which they engaged and routed. They again 
pushed on steadily towards the Mississippi River. 

On Friday, May 1st, at about noon, the inhabitants of Ba- 
ton Rouge were startled by the arrival of a courier, who 
announced that a brigade of cavalry from General Grant's 
army had cut their way through the heart of the rebel' 
country and were then only five miles outside of the city. 



208 GENERAL GRANT 

The information seemed too astounding for belief. At four 
o'clock, however, there was no longer doubt of the fact, 
for Colonel Grierson and his heroes were escorted into the 
city by a company of cavalry belonging to that post. At 
the picket lines they were welcomed by the commander 
and his staff, and the cheers of the garrison, as the adventu- 
rers entered Baton Rouge, could have been heard for miles. 

The value of this expedition can scarcely be appreciated 
by merely reading the preceding account ; but when it is 
considered that, in fifteen days this cavalry force marched 
over eight hundred miles, travelling through the very heart 
of the enemy's country, killed and wounded a number of the 
enemy, destroyed over four million dollars worth of prop- 
erty, cut off all communication with the rebel stronghold 
at Vicksburg, captured over a thousand prisoners, and 
twelve hundred hm-ses, besides menacing the enemy at 
points where they deemed themselves secure, it will be at 
once seen that the expedition was one of the most impor 
taut, as well as the most successful of the war, and is ex- 
ceedingly creditable to all concerned. 

About the same time cavalry raids were being made into 
Alabama and Georgia, under Colonel Streight, and to the 
rear of General Lee's army in Virginia, under General Stone- 
man, the various movements carrying consternation and 
terror into the midst of the enemy's dominions, and making 
it shake at its very centre. 

The following table will show the work accomplished by 
Colonel Grierson during his expedition. 

Locomotives destroyed, 2 ; cars destroyed, nearly 200 ; 
bridges burned, etc., 9 ; telegraph wires cut, 2 ; railroad 
tracks destroyed and broken, 3 ; rebel camps destroyed, 3 ; 
important rebel mails destroyed, 3 ; prisoners taken, over 
1,000; tannery burned, 1 ; horses captured, over 1,200; 
miles travelled, over 800 ; value of property destroyed, 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 209 

over $4,000,000. Besides cutting off all railroad communi- 
cation with the rebel strongholds on the Mississippi, as well 
as entirely destroying muskets, tents, stores, leather, boots, 
saddles, etc., of great value to the rebels in a military point 
of view. 

Although the loss to the rebels was very great, the gain 
to General Grant was of corresponding value. 

The following is General Grant's first announcement of 
the success of the expedition : 

Grand Gulf, Miss., May 6. 
Major-General Halleck, General-in-Chief: 

I learn that Colonel Grierson, with his cavalry, has been heard of, 
first, about ten days ago, in Northern Mississippi. 

He moved thence and struck the railroad thirty miles east of Jack- 
son, at a point called Newton's Station. 

lie then moved southward, towards Enterprise, demanded the surren- 
der of the place, and gave one hour's grace, during which General Lorm- 
niey arrived. 

He left at once and moved towards Hazelhurst, on the New Orleans 
and Jackson Railroad. At this point he tore up the track. Thence he 
pushed to Bahala, ten miles further south, on the same road, and thenco 
eastward, on the Natchez road, where he had a fight with Wirt Adams's 
cavalry. 

From this point he moved back to the New Orleans and Jackson Rail- 
road, to Brookhaven, ten miles south of Bahala, and when last heard 
from he was three miles from Summit, ten miles south of Brookhaven, 
and was supposed to be making his way to Baton Rouge. 

He had spread excitement throughout the State, destroying railroads, 
trestleworks, and bridges, burning locomotives and railway stock, taking 
prisoners, and destroying stores of all kinds. 

U. S. Grant, Major- General 



210 GENERAL GRANT 



CHAPTER XXVIH. 

OTHER PRELIMINARY MOVEMENTS. — ATTACK UPON GRAND 

GULF. 

The day after Colonel Grierson had started on his expe- 
dition, a party of Union troops, consisting of three regi- 
ments of infantry and one of cavalry, left Memphis, Tenn., 
on a reconnoissance into Mississippi. At Nanconnah they 
met a body of rebel cavalry, which, after a brisk fight, was 
repulsed with some loss. On the 19th another body of 
mounted rebels were met and driven over the Coldwater 
in confusion. The Union troops having been re-enforced at 
Hernando, Miss., again crossed the Coldwater and engaged 
the rebels at that point. 

At about the same time General Banks's forces were 
making a demonstration in the neighborhood of Baton 
Rouge. 

Owing to the limited number of transports below Vicks- 
burg, it was deemed advisable by General Grant to extend 
his line of land travel to a little place in Louisiana, on the 
Mississippi River shore, locally known by the designation 
of Hard Times. As this place could only be reached by a 
very circuitous land route, the distance between the base 
of supplies at Milliken's Bend and the advance of the army 
was increased to seventy miles, with roads entirely unsuited 
for the operations of an army. But as the place was 
nearer to the point at which General Grant had intended 
to land his troops, on the Mississippi side of the river, he 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 211 

■was determined that the roads should not prove an obstacle 
to thwart him in his plans. He therefore detailed a por- 
tion of his pioneer force to prepare the line of travel, and 
to keep it in order after it was constructed. 

The Thirteenth Army Corps was embarked during the 
night of the 28th and early on the morning of the 29th of 
April, 1863, and the Seventeenth Corps being well on its 
way to take their place, General Grant ordered the trans- 
ports to move over to the front of Grand Gulf. The 
plan had been for the navy to attack the rebel works, and 
for the military forces to land under cover of the guns, 
for the purpose of taking the place by storm. At eight 
o'clock in the morning Admiral Porter's fleet opened upon 
the works, which he engaged for five hours in the most 
brilliant manner. It, however, soon became evident that 
the enemy's batteries could not be silenced or taken from 
the water front, as the whole range of hills was lined with 
rifle-pits, supported by field artillery, that could be moved 
from one position to the other with the greatest ease. 
General Grant therefore determined to change his plan and 
effect a landing, if possible, at Rodney, some distance be- 
low Grand Gulf. But to effect this it became necessary 
again to run the rebel batteries. A consultation was 
therefore held between General Grant and Admiral Porter, 
and a plan soon agreed upon. 

At dark Admiral Porter's fleet again engaged the batte- 
ries, and under cover of this contest the transports ran by 
the rebel works, receiving but two or three shots in the 
passage, and these not inflicting any material injury. 

During the whole of the naval engagement at Grand 
Gulf, General Grant was on board a tug in the middle of 
the stream, a witness of the contest, ; nd ready to move 
his forces to the assault as soon as the time appeared pro- 
pitious. 



212 GENERAL GRANT 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

THE LANDING AT BROTNSBURG, AND ADVANCE. 

After the withdrawal of the fleet from before Grand 
Gulf, the troops were again landed at Hard Times, so that 
the transports might run easily by the rebel batteries with- 
out endangering more lives than was actually necessary. 
These disembarked troops were then marched overland, 
across the upper end of Coffee's Point and D'Schron's 
plantation, to the Louisiana shore of the Mississippi River 
below Grand Gulf. 

A reconnoitring party was next sent out to discover the 
best point at which the troops could cross the river to the 
Mississippi shore. General McClernand says in his report 
of June 17th, 1863: "The reconnoissance made by my 
cavalry, in pursuance of Major-General Grant's order, in- 
dicated Brumsburg to be the point. Hence, embarking on 
the morning of the thirtieth, my corps immediately pro- 
ceeded to that place, and disembarked before noon." 

The advance was now on the Vicksburg side of the 
river, and every thing was to be subservient to activity and 
rapid motion. The orders were that there should be no 
delay under any circumstances. Promptitude was espe- 
cially necessary, as by that only could success be guaran- 
teed. 

At four o'clock in the afternoon, after having halted just 
long enough to distribute three days' rations, the advance 
of the Thirteenth Army Corps took up its line of march 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 213 

for the bluffs, three miles from the river. In this move- 
ment the corps commander states in his report that he 
acted " agreeably with General Grant's instructions." The 
bluffs were, therefore, reached and taken possession of some 
time before sunset. 

The army had started in very light marching order, with 
out trains or baggage, so that nothing should interfere with 
their rapid movements. Each man carried his allotted quan- 
tity of rations, and the bivouac and not the camp was to be 
the order of the night.* 

The Thirteenth Army Corps, after reaching the Bluffs, 
pushed on toward Port Gibson, for the purpose of surpris- 
ing any enemy that might be found in that neighborhood, 
and if possible to prevent him from destroying the bridges 
over Bayou Pierre, on the roads leading to Grand Gulf 
and to Jackson. To accomplish this object, the corps had 
to make forced marches, and to travel as far as possible 
along the road during that night. 

The following account is given by one who participated 
in this movement of the rear column of the Thirteenth Ar- 
my Corps : 

Events have followed each other so rapidly within the last three days, 



* The following is related of the very light manner in which General 
Grant commenced the campaign : — 

A gentleman who participated in the Vicksburg campaign of General 
Grant, up to the time the enemy crossed the Big Black in the retreat to- 
wards Vicksburg, states that " in starting on the movement the General 
cnsencumbered himself of every thing, setting an example to his officers 
aud men. He took neither a horse nor a servant, overcoat nor blanket, 
nor tent nor camp chest, nor even a clean shirt. His only baggage con- 
sisted of a tooth-brush. — He always showed his teeth to the rebels. — He 
shared all the hardships of the private soldier, sleeping in the front and in 
the open air, and eating hard tack and salt pork. He wore no sword, 
had on a low-crowned citizen's hat, and the only thing about him to mark 
him as a military man was his two stars on his undress military coat." 



214 GENERAL GRANT 

that it seems utterly impossible to keep pace with them as they have 
occurred. 

When I wrote to you from Bruinsburg, it was long past midnight, and 
at the conclusion of my letter I was forced to throw myself upon the 
ground, under the friendly shelter of a thrifty cottonwood, to gain a 
little sleep for the labors of the coming day. Since eleven o'clock of 
the preceding (Thursday) night we had heard the occasional boom of 
cannon, followed by the sharp rattle of musketry, and I was not sur- 
prised, soon after I went into bivouac, to learn that an order was issued 
to march at daylight. At five reveille was beaten, and swallowing a cup 
of coffee and securing within haversack a cracker or two, just as the first 
rays of the tropical sun came glittering along the surface of the Missis- 
sippi, we left our bivouac, and taking the levee, moved in the direction 
of Port Gibson. 

The steamers, which a few nights before had run the rebel batteries at 
Vicksburg and Grand Gulf were then used to carry troops from Bromly's 
plantation to Bruinsburg. Among others the Moderator and Horizon 
were thus used. The Moderator, on her return trip, met the Horizon 
coming down the river, having on board one hundred and fifty thousand 
rations and a full battery of artillery. "Whether it was owing to the fog 
or the carelessness of the pilot has not been ascertained ; but somehow 
the two vessels collided, and the Horizon, rations and battery, sank in 
deep water and disappeared from mortal vision. Every horse on board 
was drowned. Every gun lies fathoms deep in water, rations are ruined, 
and I regret to add that two or three soldiers found a watery grave. At 
this juncture the loss is almost irreparable. 

But to describe our march from Bruinsburg: — The road to Port Gib- 
son lies along the inner side of the levee for a couple of miles, until it 
branches to the right and strikes the bluffs or series of hills extending to 
Grand Gulf and Vicksburg. The route over these bluffs differs so 
materially from that over the dead levels of the preceding days, that we 
were continually finding something to wonder at and admire. The 
abrupt acclivities, the deep ravines, the waving corn, the beautiful 
flowers and magnificent magnolias, just now in full blossom, diffusing 
most delicious perfumes, and the long line of soldiers winding along 
the green trees, formed a truly beautiful picture. The harmony of this 
scene, normally so suggestive of peace, was sadly marred by the constantly 
recurring evidences that man was at variance with his fellow. As we 
approached a point six miles from Bruinsburg, we could hear the more 
rapid firing of cannon and the sharper rattle of musketry. When we 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 215 

arrived within four miles of Port Gibson we met a small force of strag- 
glers, and received orders to move forward to the front. 

The peculiar features of the region a little east of Bruinsburg are 
rigidly maintained at Thompson's Hills, except that, if possible, the hills 
are steeper, the ravines deeper, and ingress much more difficult. As 
we approached the plantation, whence the battle takes its name, we 
found at the bottom of a deep ravine a clear running stream of water — 
a rarity in this latitude. Ordinarily the streams are muddy and turbid, 
but here was one as clear as crystal. Beyond this stream the road over 
the hill rises abruptly until it reaches an open field, upon which the 
plantation mansion stands. Just beyond is a road to the left leading 
to Grand Gulf, and to the right a road leading south. We followed the 
latter, and reached a primitive church just in the edge of a grove of 
magnolias, with an open iawn in front. A half mile beyond, this road 
again forks, the left leading to Port Gibson and the right to Rodney. 
Taking this church as a centre, and striking a semicircle towards the 
east whose periphery shall be everywhere two miles from the common 
centre, and your line will strike a chain of hills and valleys, upon which 
and between which the battle, known as that of Thompson's Hills, was 
fought. Just beyond these hills is Port Gibson.* 

* Army correspondence under date of May 3d. 



216 GENERAL GRANT 



CHAPTER XXX. 

THE BATTLE OF THOMPSON'S HILLS, OR PORT GIBSON. — EVAC- 
UATION OF GRAND GULF. 

Tiie advance of the Thirteenth Army Corps approached 
the church, spoken of in the foregoing correspondence, at 
about one o'clock on the morning of the first of May, 18G3. 
This church was distant from Bruinsburg about thirteen 
miles, and from Port Gibson about four miles. As the 
Fourteenth Division of Grant's army drew near the place, 
they were accosted by a light fire of rebel musketry, fol- 
lowed at a quick interval by a sharp attack with field artil- 
lery. The Union troops were at once formed into line of 
battle, and their batteries replied to the fire of the rebels. 
After a short but brisk engagement, the guns of the latter 
were silenced. 

The Union troops then withdrew out of range, and pa- 
tiently waited until daylight. At daybreak the fight was 
renewed by the ordering of the Ninth Division of Grant's 
army on to the road to the left. The First Brigade, while 
hastening forward to execute this order, encountered the 
enemy in force at about half-past five in the morning ; and 
although the rebel position was strong, and the enemy 
apparently determined to keep it, he was forced to yield 
up possession after a hard struggle of over an hour's 
duration. 

The Ninth Division, consisting only of two brigades, 
pressed forward ; but the enemy had so obstructed the 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 217 

road by this route, that it was soon discovered a front at- 
tack would' only result in disaster. A flank movement 
was then resolved upon, and by a spirited assault upon the 
right carried the rebel works, captured three pieces of can- 
non, and routed the enemy. 

The following interesting account of the fight is given 
by an eye-witness : 

General McClernand's army corps was marching in the direction of 
Port Gibson, and had reached the ravine and the running brook alluded 
to. It was his intention to encamp on the opposite hill, but the enemy 
had placed a three-gun battery there, and, as our advance reached the 
ravine, he began most persistently to shell us. His range was not 
good, and the guns did no damage. We withdrew out of range, and 
patiently waited uutil daylight. At daybreak the fight was renewed, 
first by the advance skirmishers, and afterwards by the main body. 
The battery placed upon the hill opposite was annoying us, and two 
regiments were ordered to take it. Across the running water and up 
the steep ascent advanced the brave soldiers, with bayonets firmly set, 
nor faltered a single step until the enemy were driven from the position 
and their guns fell into our hands. 

From here the enemy retired to the right, following the road which 
led past the church, near which they had stationed another battery. 
Here the battle raged fearfully, and several of our men were wounded 
and killed. After the rebels had left this point I was able to find, 
where the fight raged the fiercest, the dead bodies of twenty men within 
a circuit of half as many rods. Driven from this position by the impet- 
uous attack of the federal soldiers, the rebel general sought a convenient 
circlet of hills, and established his battle line. His centre rested on the 
Port Gibson road, with his right and left on the right and left of that 
thoroughfare. The attack was first made with artillery upon his centre 
then skirmishers advanced, and the engagement became general in that 
locality. After heavy firing, the enemy gave way, and massed his forces 
on his left with the evident intention of flanking our right. This inten- 
tion was discovered in season to avoid it by a proper disposition ol 
our reserves, when the enemy wheeled over to his right and massed his 
forces, making a most formidable demonstration. The attack against 
this wing was resisted with great determination and with partial suc- 
cess in the earlier part of the day, and the enemy gained several impor- 
10 



218 GENERAL GRANT 

tant positions, from which, for some hours, we tried in vain to dislodge 
him. On our extreme left and their right there was an elevation, pro- 
tected in front by an impenetrable canebrake, and defended from flank 
approach by ravines, where the attacking party would be forced to under- 
go an enfilading fire. The enemy had mounted his guns upon the hill, 
and posted his skirmishers in the thicket before it. Several hours' most 
strenuous efforts were made to dislodge them, but our boys were unable 
to penetrate the dense thicket. The deadly missiles came singing 
through the air with fearful accuracy, and many a brave soldier was laid 
low. General Osterhaus and a portion of the Ninth Division were op- 
posite. At length re-enforcements were called for, and the First Brigade 
of the Third Division, belonging to the Seventeenth Army Corps, came 
rushing along the road towards Grand Gulf. They were quickly formed 
in battle array, and with a shout, which must have struck terror in the 
hearts of the enemy, the boys fixed bayonets and boldly charged the po- 
sition. Down upon their hands and knees, they worked their way through 
the young cane, and mercilessly slaughtered all who did not yield. 
One hundred and fifty men were taken prisoners in this glorious charge, 
and scores of rebels were killed and wouuded. They gained the other 
side of the thicket, and picked off the men and horses serving the rebel 
battery. The Union batteries finished the good work, and the position 
and guns fell into our hands. 

Beaten at every point, losing one hundred and fifty killed, three hun- 
dred wounded, and more than five hundred prisoners, the enemy sul- 
lenly and rapidly retreated to Port Gibson, harassed in his flight by vol- 
leys of musketry and the most strenuous efforts of our artillery. 

Without difficulty they reached Port Gibson, blowing up, when near 
the village, a caisson filled with shot, shell, and powder. 

Night was wrapping her sable mantle over hill and valley, and the 
silver moon shone out clear and bright, casting a flood of beautiful light 
over friend and foe, when the order was given to cease pursuit. We 
rested on the battle-field, wearied and exhausted, and soon deep silence 
reigued supreme where Mars so recently held high carnival. 

The commander of the corps, in his official report of this 
engagement, states that during the heat of the battle, " Ma- 
jor-General Grant came up from Bruinsburg, and soon 
after he had the pleasure of meeting him on the field." 



■-AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 219 

It also appears from the official reports, that the second 
position taken by the enemy was much stronger than the 
first, being located in a creek bottom, covered with trees 
and underbrush, the approach to which was over open 
fields, and ragged and exposed hill-slopes. 

At break of day on the morning of Saturday, May 2d, 
the Thirteenth Army Corps triumphantly entered Port 
Gibson, through which place, and across the south branch 
of the Bayou Pierre, the enemy had hastily fled the night 
before, burning the bridge across that stream in his rear. 
This bridge was even burning when the advance entered 
Port Gibson, and it was necessary to remain a few hours in 
that village, until a floating bridge could be constructed. 

While this bridge was being built, the rebels appeared 
on the opposite side of the Bayou Pierre, both above and 
below the town, and a desultory fire ensued between the 
belligerents, without any material damage to either side. 
In the afternoon the bridge was completed, and the advance 
crossed over. 

Three miles beyond Port Gibson, on the Raymond road, 
the Union Army came across two large piles of bacon be- 
longing to the rebel army, and at least of fifty thousand 
pounds weight. The army next came upon the upper 
causeway across the Bayou Pierre, which being a substan- 
tial iron suspension bridge, the rebels had not time to com- 
pletely destroy, although they left behind them evidences 
of their attempts at its destruction. 

This bridge repaired, the Union army passed over it, 
and came to the cross-roads near the site of an old town 
which once rejoiced in the name of Willow Springs. As 
the army was proceeding leisurely along the road, a battery 
opened upon them with shell at short range, causing a few 
casualties. The advance was next drawn up in line of bat- 
tle, and moved slowly forward until the rebel position was 



220 GENERAL GRANT ■ 

attained. The enemy, however, then soon retired with 
unusual haste. 

The advance of the Union army then pushed on to the 
bank of the Big Black River, where it arrived shortly be- 
fore dark, and was received with a sharp fire of musketry. 
Lines of skirmishers were quickly formed, and the rebel 
troops driven across the river. Their rearguard attempted 
to destroy the pontoon bridge ; but in this design they 
were frustrated by the rapid movements of the sharp- 
shooters of the Union army. After exchanging a few 
shell and shot, all was quiet for a time. 

This part of the army was seven miles beyond Grand 
Gulf, and within eighteen miles of Vicksburg. While 
passing through a deep ravine to reach the above position, 
the Union troops met a strong line of rebel skirmishers, 
and, after an engagement of about two hours, the latter re- 
tired, closely followed by the Unionists. Several prisoners 
were taken, from whom it was ascertained that Grand Gulf 
had been evacuated and the rebel magazine blown up. This 
was owing to two causes ; first, the flanking of the position 
by General Grant, and secondly, the severe bombardment 
it received at the hands of Admiral Porter. 

Finding that Grand Gulf had been evacuated, and that 
the advance of the 'Union forces was already fifteen miles on 
the road they would have to take to reach either Vicksburg, 
Jackson, or any point of the railroad between those cities, 
General Grant determined not to stop the troops in their vic- 
torious course, for the purpose of furnishing himself with an 
escort due to his rank, but took with him some fifteen men, 
and proceeded in person to the evacuated position, where 
he made the necessary arrangements for changing his base 
of supplies from Bruinsburg to Grand Gulf. 

From this point General Grant telegraphed to the Gov- 
ernment the complete success of the first part of his 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 221 

movement. It will be seen that the document was worded 
in the most modest manner, considering the value of the 
work accomplished, and was as follows : 

Grand Gulp, Miss., May 3, 1S63. 
Major-General Halleck, General-in-Chief: 

We landed at Bruinsburg April 30th, moved immediately on Port 
Gibson, met the enemy, 11,000 strong, four miles south of Port Gibson 
at two o'clock a. M., on the 1st inst., and engaged him all day, entirely 
routing him, with the loss of many killed, and about 500 prisoners, 
besides the wounded. Our loss is about 100 killed and 500 wounded. 

The enemy retreated towards Vicksburg, destroying the bridges over 
the two forks of the Bayou Pierre. These were rebuilt, and the pursuit 
has continued until the present time. 

Besides the heavy artillery at the place, four field-pieces were captured, 
and some stores, and the enemy were driven to destroy many more. 

The country is the most broken and difficult to operate in I ever saw. 

Our victory has been most complete, and the enemy is thoroughly 
demoralized. Very respectfully, 

U. S. Grant, Major- General Commanding. 

Governor Yates, of Illinois, who was on a visit to the 
army at the time of the movement, and had necessarily to 
participate therein, telegraphed at the same time to the 
officials at his State Capital, as follows : 

Grand Gulf, Miss., May 3, 1863. 

We gained a glorious victory at Port Gibson, on the 1st instant. 

The enemy are in full retreat. Our forces are in close pursuit. The 
Illinois troops, as usual, behaved with the greatest gallantry. The loss 
on our side is 150 killed and 500 wounded. 

We have taken 1,000 prisoners. The loss of the enemy in killed and 
wounded was much greater than ours. Richard Yates. 

On the same night that Grand Gulf had been taken pos- 
session of, several barges, loaded with stores, were sent 
down past the Vicksburg batteries. The firing was very 
heavy upon some of them, and a shell bursting in the midst 
of a quantity of cotton and hay, destroyed the vessels, and 



222 GENERAL GRANT 

compelled tho=e on board to surrender. The following is 
the rebel official dispatch of the occurrence: 

Vicksburg, May 4, 1863. 
To General S. Cooper: 

Last night two large barges, heavily laden with hospital and commis- 
sary stores, with a small tug between them, attempted to pass here. 
They were burned to the water's edge, and twenty-four prisoners taken 
from them, among whom are one correspondent of the New York World, 
two of the New York Tribune, and one of the Cincinnati Times* 

J. C. Pemberton, Lieut-Gen. Commanding. 

The day after the occupation of Grand Gulf, Governor 
Yates sent the following report of the operations of the few 
preceding days : 

Grand Gulf, Miss., May 4, 1863. 

Our arms are gloriously triumphant. We have succeeded in winning a 
victory which, in its results, must be the most important of the war. The 
battle of May 1st lasted from eight o'clock in the morning until night, 
during ail which time the enemy was driven back on the right, left, and 
centre. All day yesterday our army was in pursuit of the rebels, they 
giving us battle at almost every defensible point, and fighting with 
desperate valor. Last night a large force of the enemy was driven across 
Black River, and General McClernand was driving another large force in 
the direction of "Willow Springs. About two o'clock yesterday I left 
General Logan, with his division, in pursuit of the enemy, to join General 
Grant at Grand Gulf, which the enemy had evacuated in the morning, 
first blowing up their magazines, spiking their cannon, destroying tents, 
etc. On my way to Grand Gulf I saw guns scattered all along the road, 
which the enemy had left in their retreat. The rebels were scattered 
through the woods in every direction. TJiis army of the rebels was con- 
sidered, as I now learn, invincible; but it quailed before tlie irresistible assaults 
of Northwestern valor. 

I consider Vicksburg as ours in a short time, and the Mississippi River 
as destined to be open from its source to its mouth. 

I have been side by side with our boys in battle, and can bear witness 
to the unfaltering courage and prowess of our brave Illinoisans. 

Riciiard Yates, Governor. 

* Some of the unfortunate correspondents were in Libby Prison at the 
■sommencement of 18 64. But were soon after released. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 223 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

OUTSIDE OPERATIONS. 

General Grant, in order to deceive the rebel authori- 
ties at Richmond, Chattanooga, and elsewhere, as to the 
precise direction from which he intended to strike at Vicks- 
burg, and also to prevent heavy re-enforcements from being 
sent to Grand Gulf from that place, ordered some very 
excellent feints to be made in all directions. 

Among others, General Grant ordered Colonel Corwyn, 
with his Cavalry Brigade, to go down the Mobile and Ohio 
Railroad, on the east of his line of operations, and threaten 
an attack upon all the rebel posts along that road. On 
the 6 th of May a fight took place between the Union 
cavalry and the rebel forces under General Ruggles, at 
Tupello, a railroad station in Itawamba county, Missis- 
sippi, and, after a half-hour's conflict, the rebels retreated 
in disorder, leaving behind them their arms, equipments, 
and ninety of their men prisoners. 

On the north General Grant ordered a still more valua- 
ble feint. In moving from Milliken's Bend, the Fifteenth 
Army Corps had been set apart to bring up the rear, and, 
consequently, under that order, it was to be the last to 
start upon the southern march. General Sherman, com- 
manding the Fifteenth Corps, had made every preparation 
to move by April 26th, 1863, on which day he received a 
letter from General Grant, who was then near New Car- 
thage, ordering him to delay his march, in consequence of 



224 GENERAL GRANT 

the state of trie roads, until the system of canals, then in 
process of construction, could be completed.* 

On the 28th of April, General Sherman received a letter 
in cipher, fixing the time when General Grant proposed to 
attack Grand Gulf, and stating that a simultaneous feint 
on the enemy's batteries near Haines Bluff, on the Yazoo 
River, would be most desirable, provided it could be done 
without the ill effect on the army and the country of an 
appearance of a repulse. Knowing full well that the army 
could distinguish a feint from a real attack, by succeeding 
events, General Sherman made the necessary orders, em- 
barked the Second Division on ten steam transports, and 
sailed for the Yazoo River. 

At about ten o'clock on the morning of April 29th, Gen- 
eral Sherman with this force proceeded to the mouth of the 
Yazoo River, where he found several vessels of the fleet, 
ready to co operate with the feigned movement. This 
fact alone proves how well General Grant and Admiral 
Porter had agreed upon the plan of operations, and how 
they worked in harmony together ; neither one being jeal- 
ous of the other's fiime, but both being ready to do battle 
in their country's service, and for the common cause. 

The united forces then proceeded at once up the Yazoo 
River, in proper order, and lay for the night of April 29th 
at the mouth of the Chickasaw Bayou. The next morning, 
at an early hour, the fleet proceeded up within easy range 
of the enemy's batteries. The gunboats at once made an 
attack upon the works, and for four hours a very pretty 
demonstration was kept up. The vessels were then called 
out of range, and toward evening General Sherman dis- 
embarked his troops, in full view of the enemy, making 

* If this document had fallen into the hands of the enemy, no idea 
could have been obtained of the true motive of the delay. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 225 

preparations as if to assault the works. As soon as the land- 
ing was effected the gunboats reopened their fire upon the 
rebel defences. 

The perceptible activity of the enemy, in moving the 
guns, artillery, and infantry, gave evidence that they ex- 
pected a real attack ; and keeping up a show of this intent 
until dark, General Sherman succeeded in accomplishing 
the full object of his ruse. At night the troops re-embark- 
ed ; but during the whole of the next day similar move- 
ments were made, accompanied by reconnoissances of all 
the country on both sides of the Yazoo River. While 
thus engaged, General Sherman received instructions from 
General Grant to hasten and rejoin him at Grand Gulf. 

The two divisions of General Sherman's Corps, that had 
remained at Milliken's Bend, were at once ordered to 
march, and to join General Grant by way of Richmond, 
Louisiana, while General Sherman, at the head of the Sec- 
ond Division, kept up his feint on the Yazoo River until 
night. General Sherman then quietly dropped back to his 
camp at Young's Point, when the whole corps, with the ex- 
ception of one division left behind as a garrison, marched to 
Hard Times, four miles above Grand Gulf, on the Louisiana 
shore, where it arrived on the morning of May 6th, after 
travelling sixty-three miles on foot. During the night of 
the 6th, and the morning of the Vth, the forces were ferried 
over the river, and on the 8th commenced their march into 
the interior. 

It appears also that a junction was to have been formed 
between the forces under General Grant and those under 
General Banks, but, in consequence of the position of the 
troops under the latter general, this movement was found to 
require a much greater delay and loss of time than General 
Grant could, under the circumstances, have afforded, as will 
be seen from the following extract from his official report : 
10* 



226 GENERAL GRANT 

About this time (May 4th), I received a letter from General Banks, 
giving his position west of the Mississippi River, and stating that he 
could return to Baton Rouge by the 10th of May; that by the reduction 
of Port Hudson he could join me with twelve thousand men. 

I learned about the same time, that troops were expected at Jack- 
son from the southern cities, with General Beauregard in command. 
To delay until the 10th of May, and for the reduction of Port Hudson 
after that, the accession of twelve thousand men would not leave mo 
relatively so strong as to move promptly with what I had. Information 
received, from day to day, of the movements of the enemy, also impel- 
led me to the course I pursued. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 22 1 



CHAPTER XXXn. 

rHE ADVANCE TOWARDS JACKSON. — BATTLE OF RAYMOND. 

The army had, as before stated, advanced in light 
marching oidfr, up to the occupation of Grand Gulf, after 
which it became necessary that trains should follow, as the 
three days rations set apart for each man at starting, had 
by this time been consumed. This naturally led to 'a short 
delay ; but no longer time was occupied than was actually 
necessary. General Grant personally superintended the 
landing and distribution of the supplies, with the full de- 
termination that his campaign should not fail through any 
dereliction of duty on the part of his quartermasters or 
commissaries. In this he manifested one of the traits of 
a good soldier; as it is not merely esseutial to put an army 
into the field to secure victory, but it is also superlatively 
necessary, to insure the same result, that the army shall be 
properly fed, clothed, and sheltered, from the commence- 
ment to the close of the campaign. It is this forethought 
and care for the soldiers, that has secured for General 
Grant the love and veneration of every man under his 
command. 

Having secured a sufficient amount of supplies to last 
him for a certain time, and having made arrangements for 
others to follow, General Grant removed his head-quarters, 
on the morning of May 7th, to Hawkinson's Ferry, on the 
Black River, leaving General Sherman's forces to garrison 
Grand Gulf for the few hours it was necessary to hold it, 
during the landing of the remainder of the supplies. 



228 GENERAL GRANT 

While lying at Ilawkinson's Ferry, waiting for the 'wag- 
ons, supplies, and Sherman's Corps to come up, demonstra- 
tions were made to induce the enemy to believe, that the 
routes to Vicksburg by that ferry and the one by Hall's 
Ferry, which Avas a short distance higher up the river, 
were very desirable to General Grant. To impress this 
idea still further upon the minds of the rebel generals, 
reconnoitring parties were sent out along the roads, on 
the west side of the Big Black River, to within six miles 
of Warrenton. The artifice was completely successful. 

In the mean time, all Mississippi was called to arms to 
resist the advance of General Grant. The following pro- 
clamation of the Governor of the State, will show the 
anxious feeling that existed in the hearts of the State 
authorities : 

Executive Office, ) 
Jackson, Miss., May 5, 18G3. ) 

To the People of Mississippi: 

Recent events, familiar to you all, impel me, as your Chief Mag ; s- 
trato, to appeal to your patriotism for united effort in expelling our ene- 
mies from the soil of Mississippi. It can and must be done. Let no man 
capable of bearing arms withhold from his State his services in repelling 
the invasion. Duty, interest, our common safety, demand every sacri- 
fice necessary for the protection of our homes, our honor, liberty itself. 

The exalted position won in her name upon every battle-field where 
Mississippi's sons have unfurled her proud banner, and hurled defiance 
in the face of overwhelming numbers, forbids that her honor, the chiv- 
alry of her people, the glory of her daring deeds on foreign fields, 
should be tarnished and her streaming battle flag dragged to the dust 
by barbarian hordes on her own soil. 

Awake, then — arouse, Mississippians, young and old, from your fer- 
tile plains, your beautiful towns and cities, your once quiet and happy 
but now desecrated homes, come and join your brothers in arras, your 
sons and neighbors, who are now baring their bosoms to the storm of 
battle, at your very doors, and in defence of all you hold dear. 

Meet in every county with your arms ; organize companies of not loss 
than twenty (under the late act of Congress), forward your muster 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 229 

rolls to this office, and you will be received into the service with all the 
protection and rights belonging to other soldiers in the field. 

Ammunition will be furnished you, and every aid in my power ex- 
tended to you for your security and efficiency 

Fathers, brothers, Mississippians — while your sons and kindred arc 
bravely fighting your battles on other fields, and shedding neiv lustre on your 
name, the burning disgrace of successful invasion of their homes, of insult 
and injury to their wives, mothers, and sisters, of rapine and ruin, with 
God's help and by your assistance, shall never be written while a Mississip- 
pian lives to feel in his proud heart the scorching degradation. 

Every moment's inaction and delay but strengthens your enemy and 
weakens your "brothers in arms. Let every man, then, make it his 
business, laying all else aside, to assist in organizing as many com- 
panies as can be raised in each county, and report immediately to this 
office for orders. By this course you will enable our arms in a short 
time to repel the invader, secure the safely of your homes, and shed 
imperishable honor on your cause. You will not be without assistance. 
Let no man forego the proud distinction of being one of his country's de- 
fenders, or hereafter wear the disgraceful badge of the dastardly traitor ivho 
refused to defend his home and his country. 

John J. Pettus, Governor of Mississippi. 

General Grant's plans had been too carefully studied and 
followed out, to be thwarted by any suddenly improvised 
forces that the Governor could then raise. 

On the morning of the 7th of May, a general advance 
was ordered by General Grant. The Thirteenth Army 
Corps was directed to move along the ridge road from 
Wilton Springs ; the Seventeenth Army Corps was to 
keep the road nearest the Black River to Rocky Springs; 
and the Fifteenth Army Corps was to divide in two parts 
and follow. All the ferries were closely guarded until the 
troops were well advanced, to prevent surprise on the 
flanks, and also to mislead the enemy as to the intention 
of the movement. 

Before the troops were started on this march, the fol- 
lowing congratulatory order was read at the head of every 
regiment : 



230 GENERAL GRANT 

Head-Quarters, Army of the Tennessee, in the Field, ) 
Hawkinson's Ferry, May 1th. ) 

Soldiers of the Army of Tennessee: 

Once more I thank you for adding another victory to the long list of 
those previously won by your valor and endurance. The triumph gained 
over the enemy near Port Gibson, on the 1st, was one of the most important 
of the war. The capture of five cannon and more than one thousand 
prisoners, the possession of Grand Gulf, and a firm foothold on the 
highlands between the Big Black and Bayou Pierre, from whence we 
threaten the whole line of the enemy, are among the fruits of this bril- 
liant achievement. 

The march from MillikerCs Bend to the point opposite Grand Gulf loas 
made in stormy weather, over the worst of roads. Bridges and ferries had 
to be constructed. Moving by night as well as by day, with labor incessant, 
and extraordinary privations endured by men and officers, such as have 
been rarely paralleled in any campaign, not a murmur of complaint has 
been uttered. A few days continuance of the same zeal and constancy 
will secure to this army crowning victories over the rebellion. 

More difficulties and privations are before us; let us endure them 
manfully. Other battles are to be fought ; let us fight them bravely. 
A grateful country will rejoice at our success, and history will record it with 
immortal lionor. U. S. Grant, Major- General Commanding. 

It appears from General Grant's official report of the 
Vicksburg Campaign, that it had been his intention, while 
at Hawkinson's Ferry, to have moved the Thirteenth and 
Fifteenth Army Corps in such a manner as to hug the 
Black River as closely as possible, in order that they 
might be able to strike the Jackson and Vicksburg Rail- 
road at some point between Edwards's Station and Bolton. 
The Seventeenth Army Corps was to move by way of 
Utica to Raymond, thence to Jackson, at which place, and 
in its vicinity, it was intended that the railroad, telegraph, 
public stores, etc., should be destroyed, after which the 
corps was to move west and rejoin the main army. 

The following is an account of the primary movements 
of the army, by one who took part in its operations from 
its organization to the capitulation of Vicksburg : 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 231 

On Thuisday, the 7th of Way, General McPherson, commanding the 
Seventeenth Army Corps, moved his troops to Rocky Springs, and his 
camp was occupied next clay by General Sherman, with the Fifteenth 
Army Corps. On Saturday, the 9th, General McPherson again moved 
to the eastward, to the village of Utica, crossing the road occupied by 
the Thirteenth Army Corps under General McClernand, and leaving tho 
latter on his left. On Sunday morning, the ICth, General McClernand 
marched to Five Mile Creek, and encamped on the south bank a4; noon, 
on account of broken bridges, which were repaired the same day. On 
Monday morning, the 11th, General Sherman's Corps came up, passed, 
General McClernand's, and encamped that night at the village of 
Auburn, about ten miles south of Edwards's Station, which is on a portion 
of the railroad from Vicksburg to Jackson. As soon as it passed, 
General McClernand's corps followed a few miles, and then took a road 
going obliquely to the left, leading to Hall's Ferry, on the Big Black 
River. Thus on Monday evening, May 11th, General McClernand was 
at Hall's Ferry; General Sherman was at Auburn, six or eight miles 
to the northeast, and General McPherson was about eight miles still 
further to the northeast, a few miles north of Utica. The whole formed 
an immense line of battle ; Sherman's Corps being in the centre, with 
those of McPherson and McClernand forming the right and left wings. 
It will be observed, also, th&t a change of front had been effected. From 
Grand Gulf the army marched eastward; but, by these last movements, 
it had swung on the left as a pivot, and fronted nearly northward. 

Up to this the enemy had not appeared on our line of march. On 
Tuesday morning, May 12th, General McClernand's advance drove in the 
enemy's pickets near Hall's Ferry, and brisk skirmishing ensued for an 
hour or two, with little loss to either side. By noon the rebels had 
disappeared from his front, and seven wounded and none killed was 
the total Union loss. General Sherman put Steele's Division in motion 
early in the morning, and came upon the enemy at the crossing of 
Fourteen Mile creek, four miles from Auburn. The cavalry advance 
was fired into from the thick woods that skirt the stream, and was 
unable, owing to the nature of the ground, to make a charge or clear 
the rebels from their position. A battery was taken to the front, 
supported by the two infantry regiments, and threw a few shell into 
the bushy undergrowth skirting the stream which gave them cover. 
Skirmishers was thrown out and advanced to the creek, driving the 
enemy slowly. A brigade was thrown to the right and left flanks, 



232 



GENERAL GRANT 



when the rebel forces, mainly cavalry, withdrew towards Raymond. 
The bridge was burned during the skirmish ; but a crossing was con- 
structed in two hour3, and trains were passing before noon.* 

General Grant was not behind his troops ; but as they 
advanced, he continually changed his head-quarters and his 
line of communications, keeping with the centre of the 
army for the purpose of better directing the movements 
of his three columns. 

When he had advanced far enough into the field to be 
sure of his position, he sent the following telegraphic 
message to the government at Washington : 

In the Field, May 11, 1863. 
To Major-General Halleck, General-in-Chief: 

My force will be this evening as far advanced along Fourteen Mile 
Creek, the left near Black River, and extending in a line nearly east 
and west, as they can get without bringing on a general engagement. 

/ shall communicate with Grand Gulf no more, except it becomes 
necessary to send a train with a heavy escort. 
Ton, may not hear from me again for several days. 

U. S. Grant, Major- General 

The foregoing dispatch plainly sets forth that General 
Grant in his plans had intended to cut an opening through 
the enemy's lines, and communicate with the General-in- 
chief by a more northern route. When the dispatch was 
sent from General Grant, he plainly foresaw the success 
of this plan, and as he personally superintended all the 
movements of his army, and had not to depend upon any 
other outside co-operation than that of the fleet, he doubt- 
less felt sure he could not fail through any lack of proper 
combination at the right time. He also, by breaking up 
this line of communication by way of Grand Gulf, pre- 
vented the enemy from cutting off his supplies, and he 

* Army correspondence 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 



233 



hart taken the precaution to have with him all that was 
needed until lie was ready to open up the new line by the 
Yazoo. 

The Fifteenth Army Corps moved forward on the Ed- 
wards Station road, and crossed the Fourteen Mile Creek ' 
at Dillon's plantation. The Thirteenth Army Corps cross- 
ed the same Creek, some short distance further west, 
making a demonstration along the road towards Bald, 
win's Ferry, as if to advance upon Vicksburg or War- 
renton by that route. 

While crossing the Fourteen Mile Creek, both corps had 
to skirmish considerably with the enemy in order to gain 
possession of the right of way ; but under the persistent 
attacks of the determined Union troops, the rebels had to 
give way, and the Union army moved towards the railroad 
in splendid order. 

In the meantime the Seventeenth Army Corps was 
steadily advancing upon Raymond, but met with no small 
opposition from the rebels, who were stationed in two 
brigades under Generals Gregg and Walker, at a point of 
the road about two miles southwest of that village. Gen- 
eral Logan's Division came upon the rebel troops, estimated 
at about ten thousand, posted on Fondren's Creek, at ten 
o'clock on Tuesday morning, May 12th, and brisk skirmish- 
ing began at once, followed by a general engagement. The 
enemy (as in front of General Sherman) was almost wholly 
concealed at first by the woods bordering the stream, 
behind which their forces were posted. Their artillery 
was on an eminence that commanded the approach, and the 
Union troops had to cross an open field, exposed to a ter- 
rible fire. The First and Second Brigades were in the 
thickest of the contest, and suffered most. After three 
hours' hard fighting, the enemy withdrew sullenly in two 
columns, the principal one taking the road to Jackson. 



234 



GENERAL GKAXT 



General Grant, in his report of this action, states that the 
fighting was very hard ; that the enemy were driven, with 
heavy loss in killed, wounded, and prisoners; and that 
many of the rebels threw down their arms and deserted 
their cause. 

When General Grant discovered that the enemy had re- 
treated from Raymond to Jackson, he, on the night of 
May 12th, diverted the Thirteenth and Fifteenth Army 
Corps from their intended route, and ordered them both to 
move towards Raymond, at which place he established his 
head-quarters on the evening of May 13th. 

The next day General Grant sent the following dispatch 
by way of Memphis : 

Raymond, Miss., May 14, 1863. 
Major-General ITalleck, General-in-Chief: 

McPherson took this place on the 12th inst, after a brisk fight of more 
than two hours. 

Our loss was fifty-one killed, and one hundred and eighty wounded. 
The enemy's loss was seventy-five killed (buried by us) and one hundred 
and eighty-six prisoners captured, besides the wounded. 

McPherson is now at Clinton. General Sherman is on the direct Jack- 
son road, and General McClernand is bringing up the rear. 

I will attack the State capital to-day. 

U. S. Grant, Major- General. 



The commander at Memphis, before receiving the above 
dispatch from General Grant, sent the following to Wash 
ington : 

Memphis, Tenn., May 17, 1863. 
Major-General Halleck, General-in-Chief: 

Papers of the 14th from Vicksburg and Jackson report that Grant de- 
feated Gregg's Brigade at Raymond, on Tuesday, the 12th. The rebel 
loss is admitted in the papers at seven hundred. 

The next day Gregg was re-enforced by General W. H. T. "Walker, of 
Georgia, when he was attacked at Mississippi Spring, and driven toward 
Jackson on Thursday. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 



235 



General Joseph Johnston arrived at Jackson on the 13th, and went 
out toward Vicksburg with three brigades. 

The force which General Grant fought, viz., Gregg's Brigade, was 
from Port Hudson, while Walker's was from Jordan. 

Every horse fit for service in Mississippi is claimed by the rebel gov- 
ernment to mount their troops. 

Grant has struck the railroad. 

S. A. Hurlbut, Major- General 



?3G GENERAL GRANT 



CHAPTER XXXin. 

TIIE CArTURE AND OCCUPATION OF JACKSON. 

The Seventeenth Army Corps had moved up to Clinton, 
on the Jackson and Vicksburg Railroad, during the pre- 
vious day, May 1 3th, so as to be able to make the movement 
along that railroad to Jackson, simultaneously with that 
of the Fifteenth Army Corps by way of the Raymond and 
Jackson turnpike road. 

Clinton was no sooner taken possession of, than parties 
were sent out to destroy the track and telegraph, and 
while engaged on this duty, several important dispatches 
from General Pemberton to General Gregg, both of the 
rebel forces, were captured and taken to General Grant's 
head-quarters. 

As the Seventeenth Army Corps advanced along the 
railroad, a parallel line of march was kept up by the Fif- 
teenth Army Corps, along the turnpike road by way of 
Mississippi Springs, while the Thirteenth Army Corps oc- 
cupied Raymond. 

On May 14th, the Fifteenth and Seventeenth Corps 
moved with their whole force then present on the field, 
upon Jackson — the march being made amidst a heavy 
torm of rain, which fell in torrents from midnight of the 
13th until noon of the 14th. The roads were therefore in 
the most horrible condition, at first slippery, next ankle 
deep in mud. "Notwithstanding this," says General 
Grant, in his report, " the troops marched in excellent 
order, without straggling, and in the best of spmts, nearly 






AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 237 

fourteen miles, and engaged the enemy at about twelve 
o'clock, noon, near Jackson." 

As the two corps marched toward Jackson, the Thir- 
teenth Corps garrisoned the places they had vacated, one 
division occupying Clinton, another holding Mississippi 
Springs, while a third took possession of Raymond. Gen- 
eral Blair's division of the Fifteenth Corps guarded the 
wagon train at New Auburn, and the road to Utica was 
held by an advancing brigade of the Seventeenth Corps 
that had not, since the movement commenced, been joined 
to the main column. These forces were kept back as a 
corps of reserve, if necessary, and ready to move in either 
direction towards Jackson or Vicksburg. 

When General Joseph E. Johnston, who commanded 
the rebel forces at Jackson, discovered that Grant's troops 
were marching upon him, he determined to meet them on 
the outside of the city, and delay this advance as long as 
possible, to give him an opportunity to remove a portion 
if not the whole of the property of the rebel government, 
then at Jackson. As his forces were small in numbers, he 
ordered a feigned resistance to be made with artillery, sup- 
ported by a small force of infantry, against the advance of 
the Fifteenth Army Corps by the turnpike road, while, 
with the bulk of his army, he marched out on the Clinton 
road and engaged the Seventeenth Corps about two and a 
half miles from the city. 

The determined advance of the skirmishers of the Fif- 
teenth Corps soon drove in the resistance in their front, and 
the rebels took refuge in their rifle pits, which had been 
thrown up just outside the city of Jackson. General Sher- 
man, the commander of the Fifteenth Corps, soon discov- 
ered the weakness of the enemy by means of a reconnois- 
sance to his right, and this flank movement caused an evac- 
uation of the rebel position on this part of their line. 



238 GENERAL GRANT 

Meanwhile, General McPherson, at the head of two 
divisions of the Seventeenth Corps, engaged the main bulk 
of the rebel forces from Jackson without any support, or 
requiring any further aid. After a very spirited contest of 
over two hours' duration, he defeated the rebel forces, and 
the dispirited and beaten troops retreated northward, 
aloDg the Canton road, leaving the city in the hands of the 
conquerors. A pursuit was immediately ordered ; but the 
rebels had escaped ; their retreat having been made in the 
greatest haste. 

The following is General Grant's modest dispatch con- 
cerning this brilliant operation : 

Jackson, Miss., May 15, 1863. 
Major-General H. "W. Halleck, General-in- Chief, Washington : 

This place fell into our hands yesterday, after a fight of about thro<» 
hours. 

Joe Johnston was in command. 

The enemy retreated north, evidently with the design of joining the 
Vicksburg forces. 

TJ. S. Grant, Major- General. 

General Grant entered the town of Jackson on the after- 
noon of the 14th, and held a consultation with the com- 
manders of the two corps which had taken possession of 
the city. To prevent any unjustifiable plunder or marau- 
ding, the troops were encamped on the outskirts of the 
city during the night. General Grant ordered the rifle- 
pits to be occupied at once, and on the following day to 
destroy effectually the railroad tracks in and about Jack- 
son, and all the property belonging to the enemy. 

Accordingly, on the morning of May 15th, one division 
was set to work to destroy the railroad and property to 
the south and east of the city, including the Pearl River 
bridge, while another division was engaged on the road to 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 239 

the north and west. This work of destruction was so well 
performed, that the utility of Jackson as a railroad or mil- 
itary centre, or as a depot of stores or military supplies, 
was completely destroyed for the time being. The roads 
were laid waste for at least four miles to the east of Jack- 
son, three miles south, three miles north, and nearly ton 
miles west. Cavalry raids were also sent along the road 
running towards Meridian, and cut the railroad at Bran- 
don and elsewhere. 

In the city itself, the arsenal building, government 
foundery, a gun carriage establishment, including the car- 
l-iages for two complete batteries of artillery, military car- 
penter's shop, stables and paint shops were at once de- 
stroyed. Some convicts who had broken loose succeeded 
in setting fire to the penitentiary during the time the mili- 
tary were thus engaged. A valuable cotton factory was 
also demolished. General Sherman, in speaking of the de- 
struction of this establishment, says : "This factory was 
the property of the Messrs. Greene, who made strong ap- 
peals, based on the fact that it gave employment to very 
many females and poor families ; and that, although it had 
woven cloth for the enemy, its principal use was in weav- 
ing cloth for the people. But I decided that machinery 
of that kind could so easily be converted into hostile uses, 
that the United States could better afford to compensate 
the Messrs. Greene for their property, and for the poor 
families thus thrown out of employment, than to spare the 
property. I therefore assured all such families that it 
want should force them, they might come to the river, 
where we would feed them until they could find employ- 
ment or seek refuge in some more peaceful land." 

The following letter from an army correspondent con- 
tains incidents of interest concerning the march to and 
occupation of the city of Jackson : — 



240 GENERAL GEANT 

The Union army have undisturbed possession of Jackson, the capital 
of Mississippi, and the head-quarters of the Rebel Department of Missis- 
sippi and Eastern Louisiana. The Federal flag floats gracefully fromtha 
dome of the State House, Yankee soldiers are patroling the streets, pris- 
oners are gathering at the guardhouse, the sick in the hospitals are be- 
ing paroled, negroes are grinning from the sidewalks, citizens look 
silently and sullenly at us from behind screens and closed window- 
blinds, and all the details of military government are in full operation. 

"We encamped at Raymond on Tuesday night, and early Wednesday 
morning started for Clinton, a small town on the Vicksburg and Jack- 
son Railroad. It was considered indispensably necessary for the suc- 
cess of our movement upon Vicksburg, that we should have possession 
of the railroad and the city of Jackson. "VVe reached Clinton at night- 
fall, and went into camp. 

During the night, a regiment, under the command of Captain Tresil- 
ian, of General Logan's staff, moved out on the railroad east and west 
of Clinton, and destroyed it. tearing up the rails and burning every 
bridge and the timbers across every cattle guard for four miles each side 
of the village. The telegraph office and the post office were seized and 
rilled of their precious contents. From this source most valuable infor- 
mation of the enemy's future -movements was obtained. In the express 
packages left by the train of cars which steamed out of town just as 
our advance came in sight, several orders from General Johnston were 
discovered, and a package of Confederate scrip. 

At Clinton a hundred prisoners were found, occupants of rebel hospi- 
tals. These were paroled, and taken in oharge by the citizens. 

At daylight Thursday morning, the army was on the road to Jackson, 
moving in line of battle. A strong advance guard was thrown out, and 
a heavy line of skirmishers on the right and left flank, and thus we 
moved in the direction of the city, 

All was quiet for the first five or six miles, until we reached a hill 
overlooking a broad open field, through the centre of which, and over 
the crest of the hill beyond which the road to Jackson passes. On the 
left of this hill the enemy had posted his artillery, and along the. crest 
his line of battle. From the foot of the acclivity, and not a mile re- 
moved, we could see the long line of rebel infantry awaiting in silence 
our onset. Slowly and cautiously we moved up the hill until we came 
within range, when all at once, upon the heights to the right, we dis- 
covered a puff of white smoke and heard the report of booming cannon, 
followed by the shrill scream of an exploding shell. One of our batte- 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 241 

ries was moved to the left of a cotton gin in the open field, midway be- 
tween the enemy's line of battle and the foot of the hill, and plaved 
upon the rebel battery with telling effect. The duel was kept up with 
great spirit on both sides for nearly an hour, when all at once it ceased 
by the withdrawal of the enemy's guns. Two brigades were thrown 
out to the right and left of this battery, supported by another brigade at 
proper distance. A strong line of skirmishers had been pushed forward 
and posted in a ravine just in front, which protected them from rebel 
fire. After a little delay, they were again advanced out of cover, and 
for several minutes a desultory fire was kept up between both lines of 
skirmishers, in which, owing to the topographical nature of the ground, 
the enemy had the advantage. 

At last General Crocker, who was on the field and had personally in- 
spected the position, saw that, unless the enemy could be driven from 
his occupation of the crest of the hill, he would be forced to retire, lie 
therefore ordered a charge along the line. With colors flying, and 
with a step as measured and unbroken as if on dress parade, the move- 
ment was executed. Slowly they advanced, crossed the narrow ravine, 
and, with fixed bayonets, rose the crest of the hill in easy range of the 
rebel line. Here they received a tremendous volley, which caused pain- 
ful gaps in their ranks. They held their fire until they were within a 
distance of thirty paces, when they delivered the returning volley with 
fearful effect, and, without waiting to reload their muskets, with a ter- 
rific yell they rushed upon the staggered foe. 

Over the fences, through the brushwood, into the Aclosure, they 
worked their way, and slaughtered right and left without mercy. The 
enemy, astonished at their impetuosity, wavered and fell back, rallied 
again, and finally broke in wild confusion. The brave Union soldiers 
gained the crest of the hill, and the rebels fled in utter terror. Our 
boys reloaded their muskets and sent the terrible missiles after the flee- 
ing rebels, adding haste to their terrified flight They cast muskets and 
blankets to the ground, unslung their knapsacks, and ran like greyhounds, 
nor stopped to look back until they reached the intrenchments just 
within the city. 

Meantime General Sherman, who had left Raymond the day before, 
and taken the road to the right just beyond the town, came up with the 
left wing of the enemy's forces and engaged them with artillery. They 
made a feeble resistance, and they, too, broke and ran. 

After a delay of half an hour, to enable our wearied soldiers to take 
breath, our column moved forward again. 
11 



242 GENERAL GRANT 

We reached the fort, and found a magnificent battery of six pieces, 
vrhich the enemy had left behind him, and a hundred new tents, await- 
ing appropriation. 

The hospital flag was flying from the Deaf and Dumb Institute, and 
this was crowded with sick and wounded soldiers, who, of course, fell 
into our hands as prisoners of war. Opposite and all around this building 
were tents enough to encamp an entire division, and just iii front of it, 
hauled out by the roadside, were two small breech-loading two-pounder 
rifles, which had been used to pick off officers. 

Further down the street we found a pile of burning caissons, and on 
the opposite side of the street, directly in front of the Confederate House, 
the stores, filled with commissary and quartermaster's supplies, were 
briskly consuming. 

Directly in front of us the State House loomed up in ample proportions. 
Two officers, taking possession of the flag of one of the regimeDts, gal- 
loped rapidly forward, and hoisted it from the flag-staff surmounting its 
broad dome. The beautiful flag was seen in the distance by the advanc- 
ing column, and with cheers and congratulations it was greeted. 

We had captured Jackson, the hotbed of the rebellion. Guards were 
established, a provost-marshal appointed, and the city placed under 
martial law. The citizens, particularly those who sustained official re- 
lations to the State and rebel governments, had left the city the evening 
before ; but there were many soldiers left behind, and a large number in 
hospital, who fell into our hands. 

The State Treasurer and Governor Pettus* were gone, taking the funds 
and State papero with them. A large amount of government and mili- 
tary property fell into our hands ; but private property was altogether 
unmolested. The offices of the Memphis Appeal and Jackson Miasissip- 
pian were removed the preceding night — the former to Brandon and the 
latter to Mobile. 

We now have quiet and undisturbed possession of Jackson. 

One portion of the rebel force has moved out on the Canton road, and 
the other on the road south of the city, whence they will both doubtless 
make a detour around Jackson, outside of our fines, and unite at Ed- 
wards's Station, on the Vicksburg and Jackson Railroad, where the citi- 
zens say they will give us battle, f 

* See Proclamation in Chapter XXXIL, pages 228, 229. 
f Army Correspondence. May 14, 1863. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 243 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 

THE ADVANCE RENEWED. CHAMPION'S HILL. 

General Grant, after he had taken possession of the 
State capital of Mississippi on May 14th, obtained some 
very important information relative to the plans of the rebel 
arm}', and among other things ascertained that General 
Johnston had ordered General Pemberton peremptorily to 
move ont of Vicksburg and attack the United States forces 
in the rear. As soon as General Grant was satisfied of the 
correctness of this information, he at once ordered the 
Thirteenth Army Corps and General Blair's Division of the 
Fifteenth Army Corps to face tlieir troops toward Bolton, 
with a view of marching upon Edwards's Station. These 
troops being admirably located for snch a move, marched 
along different, roads converging near Bolton, and the move 
ment resulted in a complete success. The Seventeenth 
Army Corps was ordered to retrace its steps to Clinton, 
and commenced its march early on the morning of the 
15th of May. The balance of the Fifteenth Army Corps 
was left at Jackson to destroy every thing that might have 
been or was capable of being used in a hostile manner by 
the enemy. 

At half past nine o'clock on the morning of the 15th of 
May, a division of the Thirteenth Army Corps occupied 
Bolton,' capturing a number of prisoners, and driving away 
the rebel pickets from the post. 

On the afternoon of the same day, General Grant re- 



244 



GENERAL GRANT 



moved his head-quarters to Clinton,* where he arrived at 
about a quarter to five o'clock p. m. 

The Seventeenth Army Corps having passed through 
Clinton to the support of the right of the Thirteenth 
Corps, General Grant ordered General McClernand to 
move his command early the next morning upon Edwards's 
station, marching so as to feel the enemy ; but not to 
bring on a general engagement unless he felt sure of de- 
feating the force before him. In accordance with this or- 
der, cavalry reconnoissances were sent out toward the 
picket lines of the enemy ; three good roads were discov- 
ered leading from the. Bolton and Raymond road to Ed- 
wards's station ; and on the night of the fifteenth of May, 
the necessary orders were given for the advance of the 
corps on the morrow. 

The following account of the battle of Champion's Hill 
is given by a participant : 

The programme of the advance was arranged by General Grant and 
General McClernand as follows : — Extreme left, General Smith, supported 
by General Blair: on the right of General Smith, General Osterhaus, 
supported by General Carr: General Hovey in the centre, with General 
McPherson's Corps on the extreme right, with General Crocker, as re- 
serve. In this order the advance was made. General McClernand's 
Corps, with the exception of General Hovey's Division, reaching the 
position by way of the several roads leading from Raymond to Edwards's 
Station. 

On the evening of the 1 5th, General McClernand heard that the enemy 
were advancing from Edwards's Station, and quickly placed his troops in 
order of battle to repel the anticipated attack. Extensive reconnois- 
sances revealed the fact, however, that he was merely feeling his posi- 
tion and force, and that no attack need be expected that da} r . 

The enemy's first demonstration was upon our extreme left, which 



* It will be plainly seen that during the successive changes in the po- 
sition of the army, General Grant was always in the immediate vicinity 
of his fighting troops, directing their movements. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 245 

they attempted to turn. This attempt was most gallantly repulsed by 
General Smith, commanding the left wing. At seven o'clock the skir 
mishers were actively engaged ; and as the enemy sought the cover of 
the forest our artillery fire was opened, which continued without intermis- 
sion for two hours. At this time General Ransom's Brigade marched 
on the field, and took up a position as reserve behind General Carr. 

Now the battle raged fearfully along the entire line, the evident inten- 
tion of the enemy being to mass his forces upon Hovey on the centre. 
There the fight was most earnest ; but General McPherson brought his 
forces into the field, and after four hours hard fighting the tide of bat- 
tle was turned and the enemy forced to retire. 

Disappointed in his movements upon our right, the rebels turned their 
attention to the left of Hovey 's division, where Colonel Slack command- 
ed a brigade of Iudianians. Massing his forces here, the enemy hurled 
them against the opposing columns with irresistible impetuosity, and 
forced them to fall back : not, however, until at least one quarter of the 
troops comprising the brigade were either killed or wounded. Taking 
a new position, and receiving fresh re-enforcements, our soldiers again 
attempted to stem the tide, this time with eminent success. The enemy 
was beaten back, and compelled to seek the cover of the forest in his 
rear. Following up their advantage, without waiting to reform, the 
soldiers of the Western army fixed their bayonets and charged into the 
woods after them. The rebels were seized with an uncontrollable panic, 
and thought only of escape. In this terrible charge men were slaugh- 
tered without mercy. The ground was literally covered with the dead 
and dying. The enemy scattered in every direction, and rushed through 
the fields to reach the column now moving to the west along the Vicks- 
burg road. At three o'clock in the afternoon, the battle was over and 
the victory won. 

Of the part taken in this battle by McPherson's Corps, it is only 
necessary to say that it rendered the most efficient and satisfactory as- 
sistance. To it belongs the credit of winning the fight on the extreme 
right. 

The battle ended, the left wing was speedily advanced upon the 
Vicksburg road, driving the enemy rapidly before them, and picking up 
as they advanced numbers of prisoners and guns. 

On the left of the road we could see large squads of rebel soldiers 
and commands cut off from the main column, and whom we engaged at 
Intervals with artillery. 

Thus we pursued the enemy until nearly dark, when we entered 



'246 GENERAL GRANT 

tae little village, known by the name of Edwards's Station, just as tho 
enemy was leaving it. 

WLen within rifle range of the station, we discovered, on the left, 
a large building in flames, and on the right a smaller one from which, 
just then, issued a series of magnificent explosions. The former con- 
tained commissary stores, and the latter shell and ammunition — five 
car-loads — brought down from Yicksburg on the morning of the day of 
the battle. In their hasty exit from Edwards's Station the rebels could 
not take this ammunition with them, but consigned it to the flames 
rather than it should fall into our bauds. We bivouac in line of 
battle to-night, and to-morrow move upon the bridge across Big Black 
River.* 

The following extracts from General McClernand's offi- 
cial report will also prove interesting, inasmuch as it sets 
forth the part taken by General Grant in this brilliant 
affair : 

The different divisions were started at different hours, in conse- 
quence of the different distances they had to march, which was designed 
to secure a parallel advance of the different columns. Believing that, 
General Hovey's Division needed support, I sent a dispatch to General 
Grant, requesting that General McPherson's Corps should also move 
forward. Assurances altogether satisfactory were given by the Gen- 
eral, and I felt confident of our superiority. 

After alluding to the demonstrations made in the early- 
part of the contest, General McClernand continues : — 

• Early notifying Major-General Grant and Major-General McPherson 
what had transpired on the left, I requested the latter to co-operate with 
my forces on the right, and directed General Hovey to advance prompt- 
ly but carefully, and received a dispatch from General Hovey informing 
me that he had found the enemy strongly posted iu front; that General 
McPherson's Corps was behind him; that his right flank would probably 
encounter severe resistance; and inquiring whether ho should bring on 
tho impending battle. My command was now aboat four mile3 from Ed- 
wards's Station, and immediately informing Major-General Grant, whom 
I understood to bi on the field, of the position of affairs, I inquired whether 
I should bring on a general engagement. A dispatch from tho General, 

* Army correspondence. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 247 

dated at thirty-five minutes past noon, came, directing me to throw for- 
ward skirmishers as soon as my forces were on hand, to feel and attack 
the enemy in force, if opportunity occurred, and informing me that he 
was with Hovey and McPherson, and would see that they fully co-operated. 
Meanwhile, a line of skirmishers had encountered Generals 0sterhau3 
and Smith's Divisions, closing up the narrow space between them. * * 
These measures had been taken in compliance with General Grant's 
orders, based on information of which he had advised me, that the enemy 
was in greatest strength in front of my centre and left, and might turn my 
left flank and gain my rear. * * * Instantly upon the re- 
ceipt of General Grant's order to attack, I hastened to do so. 

Then follows an account of that part of the battle in 
which the Thirteenth Army Corps participated, the details 
of which will be found in the army correspondence imme- 
diately preceding the foregoing extracts, and in General 
Grant's report. 

The following is General Johnston's dispatch announcing 
the defeat of the rebel forces : 

Camp Between Livingston and Brownsville, Miss., ) 
May 18, 18G3. j" 

To General S. Coopee : 

Lieutenant-General Pemberton was attacked by the enemy on the 
morning of the 16th inst., near Edwards's Depot, and, after nine hours 
fighting, was compelled to fall back behind the Big Black. 

J. E. Johnston, General- Commanding. 
The dispatch also shows the position of the forces that 
retreated from Jackson, and how, by General Grant's rapid 
movements, they had been cut off from forming a junction 
with Pemberton. 



248 GENERAL GRANT 



CHAPTER XXXV. 

BATTLE OF BIG BLACK RIVER. 

Before leaving Clifton, General Grant notified General 
Sherman of the approaching engagement at Edwards's Sta- 
tion, and ordered him to advance upon Bolton as quickly 
as possible. The dispatch was received on the morning 
of May 16th, and with his usual promptitude one of his 
divisions marched at ten o'clock in the forenoon, and he 
followed with the other at noon. 

The whole corps marched during that day from Jack- 
son to Bolton, nearly twenty miles, and the next morning, 
May 17th, by order of General Grant, resumed the inarch 
by a road lying north of Baker's Creek to Bridgeport on 
the Big Black River, where it arrived at noon. At this 
point General Blair's Divison, also by order of General 
Grant, rejoined the command. 

The success at Champion's Hill was the cause of this 
change of route, and as the enemy had fallen back over 
the Big Black River towards Vicksburg, it was necessary 
that means of crossing should be supplied to the pursuing 
troops. When General Sherman arrived at Bridgeport, 
he found that General Grant had looked after this vital 
point, for in his official report he says: "There I found 
General Blair's Division and the pontoo7i train." The 
pontoon bridge was laid, and two divisions crossed the 
river that night, the third following the next morning. 

The defeated rebels fell back from Edwards's Station to 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 249 

the Black River, which they crossed by means of the rail- 
road bridge. At daylight on May 1 7th, the pursuit was 
renewed with General JMcClernand's Thirteenth Army 
Corps in the advance. The enemy was found strongly 
posted on both sides of the Black River. At this point of 
the stream the bluffs extend to the water's edge on the west 
or Vieksburg bank, while on the east side is an open, culti- 
vated bottom of nearly one mile in width, surrounded by a 
bayou of stagnant water from two to three feet in depth, 
and from ten to twenty feet in width, running from the 
river above the railroad to the river below. The enemy, 
by constructing a line of rifle-pits along the inside edge 
of this bayou, had formed it into a natural ditch before a 
fortified work. The spot was well chosen for defeuce, and 
gave to the enemy every advantage. 

The position had, however, to be carried before Vieksburg 
could be reached ; and notwithstanding the level ground over 
which a portion of the troops had to pass without cover, and 
the great obstacle of the bayou in front of the enemy's works, 
the charge was gallantly and successfully made, and in a few 
minutes the entire garrison with seventeen pieces of artillery 
were the trophies of this brilliant and daring movement. 

When the rebels on the west bank of the river discov- 
ered that the position on the level below was sure to be 
taken, they destroyed the railroad bridge by fire with the 
intent of preventing General Grant's army from crossing 
the Big Black River : but in this operation they merely cut 
off every chance of escape for the garrison on the eastern 
bank, and the men were therefore all taken prisoners with 
their arms and equipments. 

An eye-witness of the struggle at the Black River bridge 
gives the following account of the battle : 

The battle of Big Black bridge was fought on Sunday, May*17th, the 
day after the battle of Cham, on's Ilill. In this spirited engagement 
11* 



250 GENERAL GRAKT 

only the Thirteenth Army Corps was engaged. It is superfluous to add 
that the troops comprising this corps fought as they always do, excellently 
well.* In the morning, after a night's bivouac on the hill overlooking the 
village of Edwards's Station, the column with McClernand at its head 
moved towards Black River bridge. The citizens who were questioned 
on the subject, said the position was strongly fortified at the crossing, 
and we naturally thought the enemy would make stubborn resistance 
there. We were not surprised, therefore, to learn that our advance 
guard was fired upon by the rebel pickets as the column moved towards 
the river. 

The country between Edwards's Station and the bridge loses that 
hilly and broken character which distinguishes the region further east, 
and spreads out into a broad and fertile plain, over which we moved 
rapidly. There were no commanding hills whence they could pour a 
deadly fire into our ranks ; but there were numerous patches of forest, 
under the cover and from the edge of which they could easily enfilade 
the open fields by the roadside. There was such a one a mile eo.st of 
the intrenchments where the main picket-guard was stationed. Here 
determined resistance was first made. 

General Carr's division had the extreme advance of the column, and 
opened and ended the engagement. Hastily deploying a heavy line of 
skirmishers to the right of the road, backed up by the two brigades'of 
Carr's Division in line of battle behind it, with General Osterhaus's Di- 
vision on the left of the road similarly disposed, General McClernand gave 
the order to advance. Soon in the depths of the thick forest the skir- 
mishers of both armies were hotly engaged, while batteries of artillery 
planted on the right and left of the road poured shot and shell into the 
fort most furiously. The guns in the intrenchments replied with vigor 
and spirit. Almost the first shot dropped in the caisson belonging to a 
Wisconsin battery, and exploded its contents, slightly wounding General 
Osterhaus, and Captain Foster, of the battery, and very seriously injur- 
ing two gunners. General Osterhaus being thus disabled, the command 
of his division was temporarily given to Brigadier-Ueneral A. L. Lee. 

After skirmishing had continued for an hour, during which the enemy 
gave way and sought the cover of his intrenchments, the order was given 
to the several brigade commanders, on the right, to advance and charge 

* It wi}l be remembered that this corps was mostly composed of 
troops who had participated in the contests of Fort Donelson, Shiloh, 
and Corinth, under General Grant. 



M 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 251 

the enemy's works. The order was received with cheers ; and when the 
word "Forward" was spoken, steadily and splendidly the brave boys 
mov'ed up to the assault. The enemy crouched down behind the breast- 
works. A portion of them, stationed in a curtain of the fort, whence 
they were able to get a cross-fire upon the column, reserved their volley 
until wo were within easy musket range of the intrenchments, when they 
swept the advancing line with their terrible fire. The brave boys lost 
in that fearful volley one hundred and fifty men ; yet they faltered not 
nor turned their steps backward. They waded the bayou, delivering 
their fire as they reached the other bank, and rushed upou the enemy 
with fixed bayonets. So quickly was all this accomplished, that the 
enemy had not time to reload their guns, and were forced to surrender. 

The battle was ended, and the fort, with three thousand prisoners, 
seventeen pieces of artillery — some of them captured from ourselves, 
and bearing appropriate inscriptions — several thousand stand of arms ) 
and a large supply of corn and commissary stores, fell into our hands. 

The enemy had, earlier in the day, out of the hulls of three steam- 
boats, constructed a bridge, over which he had passed the main body 
of his army. As the charge was made, and it became evident that we 
should capture the position, they burned this bridge, and also the rail- 
road bridge across the river just above. 

In the afternoon several attempts were made to cross the river, but 
the sharpshooters lined the bluffs beyond and entirely prevented it. 
Later, the main body of sharpshooters were dispersed by our artillery. 
It was not, however, safe to stand upon the bank, or cross the open 
field east of the bridge, until after dark, when the enemy withdrew 
altogether. 



252 GENERAL GRANT 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 

ArPROACHING VICKSBUEG. — INVESTMENT. — FIRST ASSAULT. 

General Sherman, with the Fifteenth Corps, during 
the time the battle of Black River was being fought, had 
as before stated, reached Bridgeport. By the morning of 
May 18th, he had crossed his command to the west side of 
the Black River, and was ready for the onward march. It 
appears, by General Grant's report, that "the only pontoon 
train with the expedition was with him;" and as the rebels 
had destroyed the railroad bridge, it became necessary, in 
order to get the Thirteenth and Seventeenth Corps across 
the river, to build floating bridges, which were construct- 
ed dining the night of May 17th, and early morning of 
the next day. 

At eight o'clock, on the morning of May 18th, the two 
army corps were ready to make the crossing. The Fif- 
teenth Corps was now ordered in the advance, and com- 
menced moving along the Bridgeport and Vicksburg road 
at a very early hour. 

As the corps arrived within three and a half miles of 
Vicksburg, the men turned to the right, to get possession 
of the Walnut Hills, and to open a communication with the 
fleet in the Yazoo River. This manoeuvre was successfully 
accomplished by the evening of May 18th. 

The Seventeenth Corps followed the Jackson road until 
it connected with the same road previously taken by the 
Fifteenth. The former then took up the line of march to 
the rear of the latter, and at about nightfall arrived at the 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 253 

point of the road where General Sherman had turned off 
towards the Yazoo River. 

The Thirteenth Corps had moved by the Jackson and 
Vicksburg road to Mount Albans, whence it turned to the 
left, for the purpose of striking the Baldwin's Ferry road. 

"By this disposition," says General Grant, "the three 
army corps covered all the ground their strength would 
admit of, and by the morning of the 19th of May the in- 
vestment of Vicksburg was made as complete as could be 
by the forces under my command." 

As the army advanced, it was continually met by the 
rebel skirmishers, who fell back steadily to their works be- 
fore the city. "Relying," says General Grant, "upon the 
demoralization of the enemy, in consequence of repeated 
defeats outside of Vicksburg, I ordered a general assault 
at two p. m., on this day." 

At the appointed signal, the line of the Fifteenth Army 
Corps advanced, and made a vigorous assault ; but the 
other two corps succeeded only in securing advanced posi- 
tions, where they were covered from the enemy's fire. 

The ground to the right and left of the road by which 
the Fifteenth Corps advanced, was cut up in deep chasms, 
filled with standing and fallen timber, and was so imprac- 
ticable that the line was slow and irregular in reaching the 
trenches. The object was, however, finally attained, and 
the colors of the Thirteenth U. S. Infantry planted on the 
exterior slope of the works. But this was not accomplish- 
ed without serious loss. General Sherman reports that 
the " commander of the regiment was mortally wounded, 
and five other officers were wounded more or less severely. 
Seventy-seven, out of two hundred and fifty men, are re- 
ported killed or wounded." Two other regiments reached 
the position about the same time, held their ground, and 
fired upon any head that presented itself above the parapet ; 



254 GElTliKAL GRANT 

but it was found impossible to enter the works. The fight 
was continued till night ; but the men were still outside the 
defences, and the assaulting column was then withdrawn to 
a more sheltered position, for the purpose of bivouac. 

The following account of the advance and assault, is 
given by one who accompanied the main army : 

The army crossed the river early on Monday morning, over the bridge 
constructed during the night. General Osterhaus's Division first crossed, 
followed by General A. J. Smith's, which in turn was followed by 
McPherson's Army Corps. Sherman had continued north of the railroad 
from Jackson, striking Big Black River a little west of Bridgeport. 
Here he crossed on his pontoon bridge, and moved upon the Vicksburg 
and Haines Bluff and Spring Dale roads. McPherson moved out on 
the main Vicksburg and Jackson road, while McClernand took posses- 
sion of the Baldwin's Ferry road. 

On the summit of the high bank across the river the column moved 
through the camp whence the night before the enemy made his hasty 
exit. On the plateau nearest the river, before the hill is reached, 
numerous tents were left standing, just as the occupants had hastily 
left them. They could not be destroyed under the heavy fire of our 
skirmishers posted on the hither bank of the river. When the hill was 
reached, we found abundant evidence of the demoralization of the enemy. 
Several piles of gun-barrels, with stocks but half consumed, were lying 
by the roadside. Tents, wagons, and gun-carriages were in ashes, corn 
was burning, and officers' baggage and soldiers' clothing were scattered 
all over the camp. The column moved to Bovina, where no evidence of 
the enemy was seen, save a rebel hospital filled with sick and wounded 
Here General Grant toas joined by General Dwight from Banks's army. 

At Alount Albans, General McClernand turned off on the Baldwin's 
Ferry road, while McPherson kept along the railroad upon the main 
Vicksburg road. The approaches to Vicksburg were now all occupied, 
with the exception of that by way of Warrenton, which was afterwards 
occupied by McArthur. When General Sherman crossed the river at 
Bridgeport, he met the advance of the enemy, which immediately turned 
back, and, it is rumored, reached Vicksburg by way of Warrenton the 
next day. That gap is now closed, and if we capture Vicksburg we shall 
capture the entire force. 

The night of the 18th, the command encamped in the open fields out- 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 255 

side the outer works, and within easy artillery range of them — General 
McClernand, with the Thirteenth Army Corps on the left, General Mc- 
Pherson's Seventeenth Corps in the centre, and General Sherman's Fif- 
teenth Corps on the right. 

At daylight on the 19th, General Grant proceeded to move upon tho 
enemy's works — a series of redoubts arranged with great skill, and extend- 
ing from the rear of Haines Bluff around to the Warrenton road, a dis- 
tance of from eight to ten miles. 

The ground by which they are approached is singularly broken — a 
vast plateau upon which a multitude of little hills seem to have been 
Bown broadcast, and of course the rebel redoubts were so disposed as to 
sweep every neighboring crest and enfilade every approach. 

The corps of General Sherman moved up on the Haines' Bluff road, 
by a sort of poetic justice taking possession of the ground by the rear 
which he had once vainly attempted to gain from the front. McPherson 
advanced on the Jackson road, and covered the ground from the left of 
Sherman to the railroad, while McClernand' s Corps occupied the front 
from the railroad to the extreme left. 

The action began by a slow fire from our artillery along the whole 
fine, our guns having a pretty long range, and eliciting but feeble re- 
sponse from the enemy. 

About noon, Osterhaus's Division advanced on the left to within about 
six hundred yards of the enemy's works, to find themselves confronted 
by fifteen redoubts, with their rifle-pits, which opened fire upon U3 
whenever we appeared on a crest or through a hollow. 

The guns of tho rebels appeared to be of small calibre, throwing 
principally grape and canister. Our skirmishers were thrown further 
up ; but little firing was done on either side. 

At two o'clock the order came for a general advance upon the rebel 
works, over ground which, on the left, at least, was almost impassable 
under the most peaceful circumstances. The order seemed a hard one ; 
yet nothing is too hard for true soldiers to try. 

General A. L. Lee, who commanded the First Brigade of Osterhaus's Di- 
vision, and was in the advance, determined to carry out his orders if thei 1 * 
execution was possible. Addressing a few words of cheer to his men, h 
placed himself in front of the centre of his brigade, led them forward in line 
of battle, and was the first man to gain the crest of the hill which he was 
attempting. He then found that it was only the first of several ridges 
which were to be crossed, the ravines between which were swept by 
the guns of the enemy's redoubt. Still he tried to press on, and his 



2b G GENERAL GRANT 

brigade of brave fellows to follow him, the air, in the mean time, thick 
with bullets and shells; but a ball from the rifle of a sharpshooter 
struck him on the face, and he fell. His brigade withdrew a few feet 
only, behind the crest of the hill on which they had just raised, and 
held their position; one of the regiments getting so favorable a point, 
that they were able to remain within about two hundred yards of one 
of the redoubts, and to prevent the gunners from firing a single shot. 

I am glad to say that General Lee, though severely, was by no means 
dangerously wounded. His brigade sustained a much smaller loss than 
a distant observer could have believed possible. 

The same degree of success, or want of success, attended the move- 
ment along the whole line. Our forces moved very close to the works, 
and then remained waiting and watching for the nearer approach of our 
artillery. At nightfall our troops retired a short distance and went into 
camp. During the night heavy siege-guns were planted by us for 
future use. our light artillery moved nearer, and a slight earthwork was 
thrown up to protect them. 

To-day (Wednesday, May 20th), the heavy guns on our left opened 
long before daylight. As heretofore, the enemy have failed to reply. 
Our skirmishers are pushed forward within a hundred and fifty yards 
of the whole line of the redoubts, and keep so sharp a lookout that the 
enemy finds it impossible to work his guns. 

On the centre two heavy siege-guns are in position less than half a 
mile from a strong fort just in front of them, so near that the Minie 
bullets were whistling merrily past the ears of the workmen. To- 
morrow they will open on the fort. 

On the right, Sherman still holds his line of skirmishers well up to 
the rebel forts on his front, and the artillerists are trying to level the 
rebel woiks, so far without success. During our operations to-day 
thirty or forty men were wounded.* 

General Sherman, in mating his movement of May 18th, 
towards the Yazoo River, as before stated, acted under 
General Grant's instructions, for the purpose of opening 
communication with the fleet in those waters, and securing 
a bnse of supplies north of the city of Vicksburg. It is 
therefore necessary to show how Admiral Porter had co- 

* Army correspondence. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 257 

operated with General Grant's movements. The following 
report will, without comment, clearly explain his pro- 
ceedings in the front of Vicksburg while General Grant 
was acting in the rear : 

Flagship Black Hato, Haines Bluff, ) 
Yazoo River, May 20, 18G3. C 

Hon. Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Navy : 

On the morning of the 15th, I came over to the Yazoo, to be ready to 
co-operate with General Grant. Leaving two of the iron-clads at Red 
River, one at Grand Gulf, one at Carthage, three at Warrenton, and two 
in the Yazoo, left me a small force. Still I disposed of them to the best 
advantage. 

On the 18th, at meridian, firing was heard in the rear of Vicksbur°- 
which assured me that General Grant was approaching the city. The can- 
nonading was kept up furiously for some time, when, by the aid of 
glasses, I discerned a company of our artillery advancing, taking position, 
and driving the rebels before them. I immediately saw that General 
Sherman's Division had come on to the left of Snyder's Bluff, and that 
the rebels at that place had been cut off from joining the forces in the city. 
I dispatched the De Kalb, Lieutenant-Commander* Walker; Choctaw 
Lieutenant-Commander Ramsay; Romeo, Petrel, and Forest Rose, all 
under command of Lieutenant-Commander Breese, up the Yazoo' to 
open communication in that way with Generals Grant and Sherman.' 

This I succeeded in doing, and in three hours received letters from 
Generals Grant, Sherman, and Steele, informing me of this vast success, 
and asking me to send up provisions, which was at once done. 

In the mean time, Lieutenant-Commander Walker, in the De Kalb 
pushed on to Haines Bluff, which the enemy had commenced evacuating 
the day before, and a party remained behind in the hopes of destroying 
or taking away a large amount of ammunition on hand. 

When they saw the gunboats, they ran out and left every thing in good 
order— guns, forts, tents, and equipage of all kinds, which fell into our 
ho.nds. 

As soon as the capture of Haines Bluff and fourteen forts was re- 
ported to me, I shoved up the gunboats from below Vicksburg to firo 
at the hill batteries, which fire was kept up for two or three" hours, 
At midnight they moved up to the town and opened on it for about an 
hour, and continued at intervals during the night to annoy the 
garrison. 



253 GENERAL GRANT 

On the 10th I placed six mortars in position, with orders to fire 
night and day as rapidly as they could. 

T,)e works at Haines Bluff are very formidable. Tliere are fourteen 
of the heaviest kind of mounted eight and ten inch and seven and a half inch 
rifled guns, with ammunition enough to last a long siege. As the gun- 
carriages might again fall into the hands of the enemy, I hail them 
burned, blew up the magazine, and destroyed the works generally. I 
also burned up the encampments, which were permanently aud remark- 
ably well constructed, looking as if the rebels intended to stay for 
some time. 

These works and encampments covered many acres of ground, and 
the fortifications and the rifle-pits proper of Haines Bluff extend about 
a mile and a quarter. Such a network of defences I never saw. 

The rebels were a year constructing them, and all were rendered 
useless in an hour. As soon as I got through with the destruction of 
the magazines and other works, I started Lieutenant-Commander Walker 
up the Yazoo River, with sufficient force to destroy all the enemy's prop- 
erty in that direction, with orders to return with all dispatch, and only 
to proceed as far as Yazoo City, where the rebels have a navy-yard and 
store-houses. , 

In the mean time, General Grant has closely invested Yicksburg, and has 
possession of the best commanding points. In a very short time a gene- 
ral assault will take place, when I hope to announce that Vicksburg has 
fallen, after a series of the most brilliant successes that ever attended an 
army. 

Tliere has never been a case, during the war, where the rebels have been 
so successfully beaten at all points; and the patience and endurance shown 
by our army and navy, for so many months, are about being rewarded. 

It is a mere question of a few hours, and then, with the exception of 
Port Hudson, which will follow Vicksburg, the Mississippi will be open 
its entire length. D. D. Pouter, 

Rear-Admiral commanding the Mississippi Squadron. 



It will thus be seen that the most perfect harmony of 
plan had been agreed upon between General Grant and 
Admiral Porter, and that the latter rendered the former 
all the assistance in his power, towards accomplishing the 
grand object — the reduction of Vicksburg. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 259 

The following official dispatches from General Pernber- 
:on, the commander at Vicksburg, were sent to Jackson, 
Mississippi, and from thence telegraphed to the rebel 
President Davis : 

Vicksburg, May 20, 1863. 

The enemy assaulted our intrenchments yesterday on our centre and 
<eft. They were repulsed with heavy loss. Our loss is small. The 
Riemy's force is at least G0,000. 

Yicksbdrg, May 21, 1863. 

The enemy kept up a heavy artillery fire yesterday. Two of our 
guns were dismounted in the centre. Our works, however, were un- 
injured. Their sharpshooters picked off officers and men all day. Our 
works were repaired, and our guns replaced last night. Our men are 
encouraged by a report that General Johnston is near with a large 
army, and are in good spirits. 

We have had a brisk artillery and musketry firing to-day, also heavy 
mortar firing from gunboats. 

During the past two days transports with troops have gone up the 
river. Their destination is unknown. 



2 CO GENERAL GRANT 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 

THE SECOND ASSAULT UPON VICKSBURG. 

After the withdrawal of the forces from before Vicks- 
burg on the night of the 19th of May, the army, for two 
days, was kept in a state of comparative inactivity, al- 
though lively skirmishing occurred all along the line. 
General Grant was, however, far from being idle, inasmuch 
as he was fully engaged in perfecting communications with 
the depots of supplies north of the invested city. The 
greater part of the troops had been marching and fighting 
battles for twenty days, on an average of about five days' 
rations, drawn from the commissary department. Although 
the men had not suffered from short rations up to this 
time, still they had begun to feel the want of bread to ac- 
company the other food with which they had been sup- 
plied, and to remedy this deficiency was for the time Gen- 
eral Grant's first and greatest object. 

By the 21st of May, General Grant had completed his 
arrangements for the drawing of every description of sup- 
ply, and having secured this desirable aim, he was deter- 
mined to make another effort to take the city of Vicksburg 
by storm. 

General Grant was induced to again make the assault 
upon the rebel defences of Vicksburg from several causes, 
some of which he sets forth in his official report. " There 
were many reasons," said he, " to determine me to adopt 
this course. I believed an assault, from the position gained 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 261 

by this time, could be made successfully. It was known 
that Johnston was at Canton with the force taken by him 
from Jackson, re-enforced by other troops from the East, 
and that more were daily reaching him. With the force I 
had, a short time must have enabled him to attack me in 
the rear, and, possibly, succeed in raising the siege. Pos- 
session of Vicksburg at that time would have enabled me 
to have turned upon Johnston, and driven him from the 
State, and possess myself of all the railroads and practical 
military highways, thus effectually securing to ourselves all 
territory west of the Tombigbee, and this before the sea- 
son was too far advanced for campaigning in this latitude. 
I would have saved the Government sending large re-en- 
forcements, much needed elsewhere ; and, finally, the 
troops themselves were impatient to possess Vicksburg, 
and would not have worked in the trendies with the same 
zeal, believing it unnecessary, that they did after their fail- 
ure to carry the enemy's works." 

General Grant, therefore, gave orders on the 21st of 
May for a general assault upon the rebel defences, to be 
made at ten o'clock of the next morning, by the whole line ; 
and that there should be no mistake or difference in the 
time of movement, and as a great deal would sometimes 
depend upon minutes,' all the corps commanders set their 
chronometers by the one in the possession of General Grant. 

The following is the copy of the order issued for the 
movement to the corps commanders : 

Head-Quarters in the Field, May 21, 18G3. 

General: — A simultaneous attack will be made to-morrow at ten 
o'clock A. M., by all tho army corps of this army. 

During this day army corps commanders will have examined all prac- 
tical routes over which troops can possibly pass. They will get in po- 
sition all the artillery possible, and gain all the ground they can with 
their infantry and skirmishers. 



262 GENERAL GRANT 

At an early hour in the morning a vigorous attack will be commenced 
by artillery and skirmishers. The infantry, with the exception of re- 
serves and skirmishers, will be placed in coiumn of platoons, or by a 
flank, if the ground over which they may have to pass will not admit 
of a greater front, ready to move forward at the ' hour designated. 
Promptly at the hour designated all wi'l start, at quick time, with bayonet 
fixed, and march immediately upon the enemy, without firing a gun until 
the outer works are carried. Skirmishers will advance as soon as pos- 
sible after heads of columns pass them, and scale the walls of such 
works as may confront them. 

By order of U. S. Grant, Major- General Commanding. 

In order the better to secure success, General Grant's or- 
der was, on the evening of May 21st, communicated to the 
division and brigade commanders, and, as far as practica- 
ble, every thing was done calculated to insure the grand 
object of the movement. 

Five minutes before ten o'clock, on the morning of May 
22d, the bugles rang along the line to prepare for the 
charge, and, at ten o'clock precisely, the three army corps 
commenced their movement in the following order : General 
McClernand, with the Thirteenth Army Corps on the left, 
General McPherson, with the Seventeenth in the centre, 
and General Sherman, with the Fifteenth on the right. 
General Grant himself took up a commanding position near 
the front of the Seventeenth Corps, by which he was en- 
abled to see all the advancing columns from that corps, 
and part of each of those on the right and left. 

The preliminary work had been performed by the artil- 
lery, and the outer works were breached in several places. 
Under cover of this fire, the infantry advanced to the 
charge all along the line. Brigade after brigade rushed 
forward, and slope and ditch were carried at the point of 
the bayonet. The Stars and Stripes were planted on seve- 
ral portions of the outer slopes of the enemy's bastions, and 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 263 

they were maintained in that position until night. The as- 
sault was a splendid one, and was gallantly performed by 
all the troops on every part of the line ; but the position 
of the enemy was far too strong to be thus taken. Vicks- 
burg had always been naturally strong, but art had greatly 
improved it by the cutting of ditches, felling of trees, con- 
struction of works, and, what is of l'ar more importance, 
the proper location of batteries to guard every avenue of 
approach. General Sherman reported that the artillery 
fiie from the rebel works, on one part of his line, was so 
steady and severe, that it was impossible for the infantry to 
pass that point ; and even when an attempt was made to 
take the death-dealing works, it was found to be so well 
covered by other works, that the assaulting party recoiled 
under the effects of a staggering fire. 

Notwithstanding this fearful artillery reply to the assault, 
several evidences of individual bravery were manifested 
by the soldiers* The walls were scaled, but with no suc- 
cessful effect. Although assaulted at every point and at all 
of them at the same time, the enemy was enabled to show as 
much force as his work could cover. "The assault failed," 
says General Grant, in his report, " but without weakening 
the confidence of the troops in their ability to ultimately suc- 
ceed." They knew well that the failure did not arise from 
lack of courage in themselves, or skill in their commander, 
but they also discovered that works of the character which 
defended Vicksburg could not be carried by storm. 

The position taken up by General Grant enabled him to 
have a view of the whole field of action, and he states em- 
phatically that "the assault of this day proved the quality 
of the soldiers of the Army of the Tennessee. Without 
either success, and with a heavy loss, there was no niur- 

* See General Grant's Report, July 6, 1863. 



264 GENERAL GRANT 

muring nor complaining, no falling back, nor other evi- 
dence of demoralization." This fact alone proves the vai^e 
of the discipline by which General Grant had reared his 
army, and the love the men bore their commanders. 

The following sketch of the assault, by a participant, is of 
interest : 

Near Vicksburg, May 22, 18G3. 

It was rumored yesterday that this morning General Grant would or- 
der a charge simultaneously along the entire line of works. Late in the 
evening, the commanders of the different divisions and brigades received 
their orders, and prepared to execute them. The order contemplated a 
fierce cannonade from daylight until ten o'clock, but, for some reason, it 
was not opened until after eight. 

During the night, however, the gunboats and mortars lying in front of 
Vicksburg kept up a continual fire, and dropped their fiery messengers 
right and left without distinction. 

During this bombardment several buildings were set on fire by the 
exploding shells, and lighted up the darkness, revealing strange shapes 
and wonderful outlines standing out in relief against the dark sky, which 
added wonderful interest to the bombardment as witnessed by the dis- 
tant observer. It is impossible to estimate the damage occasioned by 
thus dropping into Vicksburg those heavy eleven and thirteen inch 
shells. Imagination falls far short of its reality. 

Before we approached the city, General Pemberton ordered all the 
women and children for miles around Vicksburg to come within the in- 
trenchments, assuring them that in that way they would escape all 
danger. The consequence is, that there are a large number of non- 
combatants in Vicksburg, exposed to all the dangers of siege and bom- 
bardment. 

At eight o'clock this morning the cannonading began, and continued, 
with scorcelj* a moment's intermission, along the entire line until ten 
o'clock. From every hill-top in front of the enemy's works cannon were 
placed, and the fiery tempest raged fearfully. Guns were dismounted, 
embrasures torn up, parapets destroyed, and caissons exploded. It 
was a fearful demonstration. The enemy were powerless to reply ; for 
our line of skirmishers were pushed up close to the enemy's works, and 
unerringly picked off the gunners whenever they attempted to work 
the guns. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 265 

For two long hours did this cannonade continue, when a general 
charge was made. "Winding through the valleys, clambering over the 
hills everywhere, subjected to a murderous enfilading and cross-lire, 
the advance pressed up close to the rebel works — to find that a deep 
ditch, protected by sharp stakes along the outer edge, lay between them 
and the intrenchments. They planted their flag directly before the 
fort, and crouched down behind the embankment, out of range of the 
rebel fire, as calmly as possible, to await developments. The soldiers 
within the forts could not rise above the parapet to fire at them, for if 
they did, a hundred bullets came whizzing through the air, and the 
adventurers died. 

The rebels, however, adopted another plan. Taking a shell, they cut 
the fuse close off, lighted it and, rolled it over the outer slope of the 
embankment. 

Subsequently, with picks and shovels, a way was dug into one fort, 
and through the breach the boys walked bravely in. The first fort on 
the left of the railroad was stormed by a portion of General Carr's Di- 
vision, and gallantly taken. The colonel that led the charge was 
wounded. 

On the centre the fire was persistent and terrible. Many brave offi- 
cers were killed and many more wounded. Col. Dollins, of the Eighty- 
first Illinois, fell dead while leading his men to the charge. 

Later in the afternoon General Ransom's Brigade charged the works 
opposite his position, with heavy loss. 

Steele and Tuttle, on the right, were also heavily engaged, and the 
former is reported to have lost nearly a thousand men.* 

The following account, also, gives interesting details of 
the action, as seen from General Grant's head-quarters : 

For several days the disposition of the troops designed for the reduc- 
tion of Vicksburg had been going on with unceasing energy. The pecu 
liar formation of the country in this vicinity made it a matter of no small 
importance to thoroughly comprehend the ground before using it for 
military ends, because there were some localities which possessed strik- 
ing advantages over others, yet they did not appear upon first sight. 
Accordingly, the day after the arrival of the army here, General Grant 

* Army correspondence of the Chicago Tribune, under date, of May 
22d, 1863. 
12 



26G 



GENERAL GRANT 



spent most of his tims in riding over the ground and studying out the posi- 
tions. This being finished, on the following day the troops were moved 
to the positions which they were to occupy and hold, in corps, the Fif- 
teenth (General Sherman) on the right, the Seventeenth (General Mc- 
Pherson) in the centre, and the Thirteenth (General McClernand) outhe 
left. 

General Sherman the day before had detached part of his command, 
with orders to march against a strong position in the enemy's possession 
at Chickasaw Bluffs. The movement was made, and resulted most emi- 
nently in our favor — that is, without the loss of a man. The enemy 
at this point, hearing of the presence of our army in the rear of Yieks- 
burg, and its proximity to their own position, concluded that the better 
part of valor would be the evacuation of their works, which action was 
had immediately and without delay. The possession of this point is of 
great importance to this army in its present movements. It gives us a 
ready and short line of communication between our base of supplies at 
Young's Point and the army in the field, the distance being but fifteen 
miles by water and ten by land, making twenty-five miles; and by this 
time the arrangements are so far matured that in a day from Young's 
Point supplies of all sorts can reach the army. 

Having every facility at his command, the troops in possession of every 
necessary to their comfort and efficiency, the men in the best of spirits 
after a victorious campaign from Grand Gulf to Big Black, and the posi- 
tions we now hold in the rear of Vicksburg, General Grant planned the 
assault upon the enemy's works which came off to-day. The arrange- 
ment was to make a simultaneous move on all points, basing success 
upon the consideration that the insufficient garrison of the place would 
not be able to contest equally our assault at all points, and. as a conse- 
quence, the weaker places could be taken while the stronger were mak- 
ing their defence. This conclusion was very natural, and there seemed 
hardly a doubt that at this moment our trocps would be at least in pos 
session of several of the enemy's outer works, the occupation of which 
would insure us a decided advantage in position. 

But from causes, perhaps beyond the control of the generals in the 
field, this enemy found us unsuccessful, and some of our lines were less 
advanced than in the morning. However, due to the high ttate of disci- 
pline of the army, instead of being disheartened at our repulse and severe 
loss, the men are even more determined than they were at first: they 
think of nothing but the capture of Vicksburg — a fact, under such cir 
cumstances, surely to be realized. 



AXD niS CAMPAIGNS. 20 7 

General Grant's " field order," issued last night, ordered that all the 
reserve troops should be formed in line at an early hour this morning, 
and that those commands selected for the storming of the fortifications 
should be drawn up in " column" by division, so as to be ready to move at 
precisely ten o'clock this morning, which was the hour designated for 
the assault to commence. The artillery opened a vigorous fire some time 
before the designated hour of the assault. The firing was excellent, al- 
most every shot striking the crest of the parapet, and nearly all the 
shells exploding immediately over the inner side of the breastworks. 
Of course it is not possible to judge of the enemy's loss, but he certainly 
must have suffered severely during our heavy fire. Two large explo- 
sions occurred within the works, during the engagement, which were 
thought to be caissons. A large building was also destroyed by our 
shells. 

At a given hour the troops were in motion, moving along the ravines, 
in which to assume the required formation and make the attack. The 
charges were most admirably executed. With perfect composure the 
men moved up the hill, though not under fire, yet under the influence 
of a dreadful anticipation of a deadly volley at close quarters. When 
within forty yards of the works, of a sudden the parapet was alive with 
armed men, and in an instant more the flash of thousands of muskets 
hurled death and destruction most appalling into the ranks of our ad- 
vancing columns. Five hundred men lay dead or bleeding on one part 
of the field at the first fire. Bravely, against all odds, this commana 
fought until its depleted ranks could no longer stand, when sulleuly it 
withdrew under cover of a hill near by. In addition to the^heavr 
musketry fire which repelled the assault, artillery played with dreadfui 
havoc upon the fading ranks, which, after every effort to win the goal. 
were obliged to give way, not to numbers, but impregnability of position. 
Upon the whole, as regards the designs of our movement, we were 
frustrated, but nothing more. Our troops, with but few exceptions, 
hold their own. The loss of this day's engagement has been exceed- 
ingly heavy, according to first accounts, which are not the most reliable, 
ana it is to be hoped the authenticated returns will greatly lessen the 
casualties. 

The failure of our endeavors to take the city by assault will be suc- 
ceeded by an effort to reduce the place by means of the spade. The 
argument in favor of this course is economy of life, for even a success- 
ful attack upon the city would be attended with an extravagant loss of 
men. 



268 GENERAL GRANT 

The strength of Vicksburg towards the land is equally as strong as on 
the river-side. The country is broken to a degree, affording excellent 
defensive positions, and an attacking party must necessarily be exposed 
to a fire which could not be withstood by any troops. In addition to this, 
the ravines intervening the ridges and knolls, which the enemy has forti- 
fied, are covered with a tangled growth of cane, wild grape, etc., making 
it impossible to move the troops in well-dressed lines. The attempt of 
to-day has exhibited the impossibility of taking the city by storm ; but 
a few weeks of the spade will show that Yicksburg can be taken.* 

The following official report from Admiral Porter will 
explain the part taken by the fleet during this assault : 

Mississippi Squadron, Flagship Black Hawk, ) 
May 23, 1863. f 

Sir: — On the morning of the 2lst, / received a communication from 
General Grant, informing me (hat he intended to attack the whole of the 
rebel ivorks at ten A. M. the next day, and asking me to shell the batteries 
from half-past nine until half-past ten, and annoy the garrison. I kept six 
mortars playing rapidly on the works and town all night, and sent the 
Benton, Mound City, and Carondeletup to shell the water batteries and 
other places where troops might be resting during the night. At seven 
o'clock in the morning the Mound City proceeded across the river, and 
made an attack on the hill batteries opposite the canal. At eight o'clock 
I found her in company with the Benton, Tuscumbia, and Carondelet. 
All those vessels opened on the hill batteries and finally silenced them, 
though the main work on the battery containing the heavy rifled gun 
was done by the Mound City, Lieutenant-Commanding Byron Wilson. 
I then pushed the Benton, Mound City, and Carondelet up to the water 
batteries, leaving the Tuscumbia, which is still out of repair, to keep the 
hill batteries from firing on our vessels after they had passed by. The 
three gunboats passed up slowly, owing to the strong current, the Mound 
City leading, the Benton following, and the Carondelet astern. The 
water batteries opened furiously, supported by a hill battery on the star- 
board beam of the vessels. The vessels advanced to within four hun- 
dred and forty yards (by our marks), and returned the fire for two hours 
without cessation, the enemy's fire being very accurate and incessant. 

i'inding that the hill batteries behind us were silenced, I ordered up 
the Tuscumbia to within eight hundred yards of the batteries ; but the 

* Army correspondence. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 2G9 

turret was soon made untenable, not standing the enemy's shot, and I 
made her drop down. I had been engaged with the forts an hour 
longer than General Grant asked. The vessels had all received severe 
shots under water which we could not stop while in motion, and not 
knowing what might have delayed the movement of the army, I ordered 
the vessels to drop out of fire, which they did in a cool, handsome 
manner. 

This was the hottest fire the gunboats have ever been under ; but, 
owing to the water batteries being more on a level with them than 
usual, the gunboats threw in their shell so fast that the aim of the 
enemy was not very good. The enemy hit our vessels a number of 
times, but, fighting bow on, that did but little damage. 

Not a man was killed, and only a few wounded. I had only enough 
ammunition for a few moments longer, and set all hands to work to fill 
•p from our depot below. 

After dropping back I found that the enemy had taken possession 
again of one of the lower hill batteries and was endeavoring to mount 
his guns, and had mounted a twelve-pounder field-piece to fire at Gen- 
eral McArthur's troupa which had landed a short time before at War- 
renton. I sent the Mound City and Carondelet to drive him off, which 
they did in a few moments. 

I beg leave to inclose a Jettci from General McArthur, explaining 
why he did not (to use his own express.orA take advantage of the results 
gained by the gunboats. 1 have since learned through General Grant that 
the army did assault at the right time vigorously In the noise and svioke 
we could not see or hear it. The gunboats were, there/oie. still fighting when 
the assault had proved unsuccessful. 

TJie army had terrible work before them, and are fighting as wel, as soldiers 
ever fought before. But the works are stronger than any of us dreamed of. 
General Grant and his soldiers arc confident that the brave and energetic 
generals in the army will soon overcome all obstacles and carry the woiks. 

David D. Porte r, 
Acting Rear-Admiral, commanding Mississippi Squadron. 

Hon. Gidkxv Welles, Secretary of the Navy. 

Shortly after this assault some dissensions arose in the 
army relative to the merits of the troops, and in conse- 
quence of a congratulatory order issued by General Mc- 
Clernand on May 30th, the quarrel would have ended in a 
complete disruption of the whole force, had it not been for 



2 TO GENERAL GRANT 

the prompt action of General Grant. It will be remem- 
bered that General McClernand had served with General 
Grant from the time he first took command at Cairo to the 
assault of Vicksburg ; and that naturally there existed a 
friendship between them, that would have been provoca- 
tive of great jealousy among the other commanders if 
General Grant had overlooked the matter in question, es- 
pecially under the circumstances.* The objectiouable order 
commenced as follows : 

Comrades : — As your commander, I am proud to congratulate you 
upon your constancy, valor and success. History aflbrds no more bril- 
liant example of soldierly qualities. Your victories have followed in 
such rapid succession, that their echoes have not yet reached the coun- 
try. They will challenge its grateful and enthusiastic applause. Your- 
selves striking out a new path, your comrades of the Tennessee followed, 
and a way was thus opened for them to redeem previous disappoint- 
ments. 

After summing up the achievements of the corps, and 
speaking in high terms of his own men, General McCler- 
nand concludes in the following language : 

On the 22d, in pursuance of the order of the Commander of the De- 
partment, you assaulted the enemy's defences in front at 10 o'clock a. m., 
and within thirty minutes had made a lodgment and placed your colors 
upon two of his bastions. This partial success called into exercise the 
highest heroism, and was only gained by a bloody and protracted strug- 
gle. Yet it was gained, and was the first and largest success gained 
anywhere along the whole line of our army. 

For nearly eight hours, under a scorching sun and destructive fire, 
you firmly held your fouling, and only withdrew when the enemy had 
largely massed their forces, and isoncontrated their attack upon you 

How arm why the general assault failed, it w«uld be needless now 
to exp* nn. The Thirteenth Army Corps, acknow. edging the good inten- 
tions of all, would scorn indulgence in weak regrets and idle criminations. 
According justice to all, it would only defend itself. If, while the enemy 




AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 271 

was massing to crush it, assistance was asked for by a division at other 
points, or by re-enforcements, it only asked what, in one case, Major- 
General Grant had specifically and peremptorily ordered, namely, simul- 
taneous and persistent attack all along our line, until the enemy's outer 
works should be carried ; and what, in the other, by massing a strong 
force in time upon a weakened point, would have probably insured 
success. 

This order gave very great offence ; in fact, it became the 
source of serious trouble in all the other parts of the army, 
the men openly expressing their disapprobation of it. This 
led to a correspondence between the commander of the 
Thirteenth Army Corps and the General commanding the 
army, and the following letter was sent from the former 
to the latter. 

Head-Quarters Thirteenth Army Corps, ) 
Battle-field near Vicksburg, June 4, 1863. ) 

General: — What appears to be a systematic effort to destroy my use- 
fulness and reputation as a commander, makes it proper that I should 
address you this note. 

It is reported, among other things, as I understand, that I attacked 
the enemy's works on the 22d ult. without authority ; again, that I 
attacked too late; again, that I am responsible for your failure and 
losses ; again, that I am arrested and being sent Xorth ; again, that my 
command is turned over to another officer ; and again, that you have 
personally assumed command of it. These reports are finding their 
way from the landings up the river. 

I hardly need say to you that all these reports are false ; that I obey- 
ed orders in attacking ; that my attack was more prompt, and in a largo 
measure more successful, than any other ; that the ultimate failure of 
the general attack, and losses attending the failure, were, under the cir- 
cumstances, unavoidable consequences of obstacles found to be insur- 
mountable, and in spite of a determined effort on my part to carry and 
hold the works in obedience to your express and peremptory order. I 
may add that I am not yet under arrest, or being sent away, or super- 
seded in my command. 

All these things being known to you, and these false reports being 
brought to your notice, it remains for you to determine whether truth. 



272 GENERAL GRANT 

justice, and generosity do not call on you for such a declaration as will 
be conclusive in the matter. Tour obedient servant, 

John A. McClernand, Major- General Commanding. 
Major-General U. S. Grant, Commanding Department Tennessee. 

To this General Grant replied as follows : 

Head-Quarters, Department of the Tennessee, ) 
near Vicksuurg, June 7 1SG3. ) 

Major-General J. A. McClernand, Commanding 1 3th Army Corps: 

General: — Inclosed I send you what purports to be your congratula- 
tory address to the Thirteenth Army Corps. 

I would respectfully ask if it is a true copy. If it is not a correct 
copy, furnish me one by bearer, as required both by regulations and 
existing orders of the Department. 

Very respectfully, 

U. S. Grant, Major- General. 
It appears that General McClernand was absent at the 
time General Grant's dispatch reached his head-quarters, 
and did not return until the loth of June. As soon as he 
came back, and had read General Grant's communication, 
he at once telegraphed the following reply thereto : 

Head-Quarters Thirteenth Army Corps, ) 
Near Vicksdurg, June 15, 18G3. ) 

Major-General Grant: 

I have just returned. The newspaper slip is a correct copy of my 
congratulatory order, No 72. lam prepared to maintain its statements. 
I regret that my adjutant did not send you a copy promptly, as he 
ought, and I thought he had. 

John A. McClernand, Major- General Commanding. 

This, of course, settled the matter as to the authenticity 
of the document in question ; and as the order implied a di- 
rect censure of the commanding general, and an indirect 
breach of the sixth Article of War, General Grant therefore 
being equal to the urgent necessity of the case, with the 
desire to save his army even at the cost of his friend, im- 
mediately issued a special order, of which the following ia 
an extract : 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 273 

Head-Quarters, Department of the Tennessee, ) 
Near Vicksburg, Miss., June 15, 1863. \ 

[Special Orders, No. 1G-1.]— Extract. 

Major-General John A. McClernand is hereby relieved from the com- 
mand of the Thirteenth Army Corps. He will proceed to any point he 
may select in the State of Illinois, and report by letter to head-quarters 
of the army for orders. 

Major-General E. 0. C. Ord is hereby appointed to the command of 
the Thirteenth Army Corps, subject to the approval of the President, 
and will immediately assume charge of the same. 

By order of Major-General U. S. Grant. 

John A. Rawlins, A. A.-G. 

On receipt of this order, after turning over his command 
to General Ord, General McClernand sent the following to 

General Grant : 

Battle-field near Vicksburg, Miss., ) 
June 20, 1863. J 

Major-General TJ. S. Grant, Commanding Department Tennessee: 

Yoar note relieving me, and appointing Major-General Ord to the com- 
mand of the Thirteenth Army Corps, is received. 

Having been appointed by the President to the command of that 
corps, under a definite act of Congress, I might justly challenge your 
authority in the premises, but forbear to do so at present. 

I am quite willing that any statement of fact in my congratulatory or- 
der to the Thirteenth Army Corps, to which you think just exception 
may be taken, should be made the subject of investigation, not doubting 
the result. Your obedient servant, 

John A. McClernand. 

That no ill feeling existed between the commanders . is 
evident from the concluding paragraph of General Mc- 
Clernand's report of the part taken by himself and his corps 
ill the Vicksburg campaign. The- report is dated two days 
after he was removed from command, and closes with the 
following words : 

" Sympathizing with the general commanding the noble army of the 
Tennessee, in the loss of so many brave men, killed and wounded, I can- 
not hut congratulate him in my thankfulness to Providence upon the many 
and signal successes which have crowned his arms in a, just cause." 
12* 



274 GENERAL GRANT 

It had been reported in the rebel army that General 
Pemberton had " sold" the battle-fields of Champion's Hill 
and Big Black River Bridge. After the repulse of the 
Union assault upon the works at Vicksburg, General Pem- 
berton made the following brief but pithy speech to his 
command : 

You have heard that I was incompetent and a traitor, and that it was 
my intention to sell Vicksburg. Follow me, and you will see the cost 
at which I will sell Vicksburg. When the last jiound of beef, bacon, and, 
four ; the last grain of corn; the last cow, and hog, and horse, and dog shall 
have been consumed, and the last man shall have perished in the trenches, then, 
and only then, ivill I sell Vicksburg. 

The above will show with what determination the rebels 
intended to resist the advance of General Grant and the 
reduction of their fortified city. 

In the mean time Colonel Cornyn's Brigade of Union 
cavalry was making very successful raids into Alabama, 
etc., destroying lines of communication, factories, mills, 
workshops, ammunition, ordnance stores, depots of sup- 
plies, and other valuable property belonging to the rebel 
government, or its military authorities. Private prop- 
erty, however, was almost universally respected, with 
the exception of such supplies as were needful for his com- 
mand, and for which proper receipts were given. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 275 



CHAPTER XXXVHI. 

THE SIEGE OF VICKSBURG. 

After the failure of the assault of May 22d, upon the 
works of Vicksburg, General Grant determined to resort 
to the slow, but certain method of a regular siege. The 
troops having been now made fully aware of the necessity 
of taking the works by regular approaches, performed 
their part with alacrity, diligence and cheerfulness. 

The advance of each corps was pushed up as close as 
possible to the rebel works, which were nearly invested by 
the troops already under General Grant's command. But 
still there were points at which portions of the rebel garri- 
son would slip out, and supplies be taken into their works. 
The communication between General Johnston, who was at 
Canton, Miss., and General Pemberton at Vicksburg, was 
but partially interrupted, and while this leak existed, it was 
impossible to reduce the place by siege. General Herron's 
command was therefore withdrawn from northwestern Ar- 
kansas, and added to the force at the extreme left of the 
Union lines. This secured the complete investment of the 
fortified city. 

The position of the army at the end of May was as fol- 
lows : 

General Grant was well up to the rebel fortifications, 
and was daily enlarging and strengthening his own. The 
extreme left, occupied by General Herron, was so situated 
topographically as to require less formidable opposing 



C 7 6 GEXEEAX GEA2TT 

works than at any other point ; but even there the works 
were on a scale sufficiently important to successfully oppose 
any demonstration the rebels might make in that direction. 

The Thirteenth Army Corps had the perfect range of 
the forts opposite their position, and kept down the rebel 
sharpshooters, and prevented the successful working of 
rebel artillery. 

The Seventeenth Corps planted a heavy battery of siege 
guns within a hundred yards of the opposing fort, and ex- 
pected to do excellent sendee in battering down the earth- 
works. Advantage had been taken of the topographical 
peculiarities of the ground, and a covered pathway had 
been constructed, through which the canonniers could 
pass to and fro without danger from the sharpshooters. 

The Fifteenth Corps, on the extreme right, was equally 
busy. General Tuttle, of this coqis. had constructed a fort, 
the guns of which enfiladed one of the enemy's most im- 
portant, and, to us, destructive positions. This, of course, 
rendered it practically useless, and, had it not been for the 
line of rifle-pits on the Yicksburg side, which commanded 
the interior, it might have been stormed and carried any 
time. 

General Blair held Haines Bluff, and the country be- 
tween the Yazoo and the Big Black River. 

About this time, the Union commanding general dis- 
covered an intention on the part of the rebel forces un- 
der General Johnston to advance and attack General 
Oram's army in the rear. The manner in which the latter 
officer obtained his information is thus related by one of 
the officers of his army : 

General Pemberton was anxious to indicate to General Johnston his 
ex.-.e: sntnati a. ..ad sent a trust . named Douglas — son of a prom- 

inent citizen of Illinois, who several rears since migrated to T 
and there joined the rebel service — through his lines, with in 
to maKe his way bj n . e Union picists, and, seizing the rirst 



A3 "- 



^ --: i -: '.ii~z -1: — : 



i: .- __-=-.-_ ' : jr. 
i-i r" :: " .-- " :* 



-ersl Pe~ • iw plainly that tr : - 2 _ ". "be 

sake of economizing rat . 

- - - ■ ■ ■ ■ 

•- _ . ■ • ■ ■ ■ " " 

seen: eral thousand. Wi 

:: ri. ". :. ::l: z:r^:i r -- -■:."..'---"-""_: - - ~ -"- -- 
of cireumvaliatior. 

pc>sed and a larse number kill- L The r* -x>n re- 

r_: -: ~. -.-■.:.:.-.-". ■ ' - - - '-'- ~ --"-■- -- - "/■ 

In orier to J g - ~ ^ 

Tear of General Grant's army. General Osterhaus, with his 
-»n, was sent to the Big Hack Rarer 1 _ :he 

. and to r :utempt of the ex: ree 

A:r ' - - - - -t " 

- :..-::.' 

-eported no enem; :t 

The what was accom- 

plished by the ^x;eii:i:- wmia General Blair : 



GENERAL GRANT 



Information reaching the ears of the commanding general, that 
Johnston, in possession of a considerable force, was moving towards the 
Big Black River with an intention of making a demonstration on our 
army now in the rear of Vicksburg, induced the movement of a suffi- 
cient body of troops in that direction, to meet the approaching enemy, 
if found, as reported, and engage him before he could effect a crossing, 
or at every hazard to repel any attempt he might make to secure a foot- 
hold on this side. Accordingly, an expedition was sent out under Gene- 
ral P. P. Blair, Jr., composed of men selected from each corps of the 
army, with their artillery and a command of cavalry. On the 27th of 
May, the party started on their mission, and marching hastily towards 
Mechanicsburg, the cavalry in advance, when near that place, fell in 
with about one thousand men, partly of the Twentieth Mississippi 
mounted infantry, commanded by Colonel Wirt Adams, and the rest, 
composed. of detachments, all under command of General Adams. A 
brisk skirmish ensued, resulting in forcing back our cavalry. The in- 
fantry was soon formed and thrown forward, and after a brief engage- 
ment the enemy left the field in haste. 

This affair being over, the troops pushed forward, scouring the coun- 
try in all directions, seizing stock, bacon, and every other thing useful 
to the enemy. The advance marched within twenty miles of Yazoo 
City, without meeting any force, then struck across the country and re- 
turned to take their part in the investment of Vicksburg. 

The facts collected concerning the enemy were, that Johnston had at 
his call twenty thousand men at Canton, and a similar number at Jack- 
son. This force was composed of very old and young men, all con- 
scripted for the occasion, and were without, arms. His serviceable force 
did not number more than fifteen thousand, though by the inhabitants it 
is estimated much higher. 

The expedition returned, confident that no fears should be entertained 
of serious difficulty from the direction of the Big Black, at any rate for 
some time. His last experience had so intimidated the rebel general 
that there was little danger of great boldness on his part, and so long 
as he remained on the other side of the river, General Grant was in- 
formed that he need have no concern about him. Our cavalry was al- 
ways in movement in that direction, and kept close watch on all his 
plans. 

The captures made during the expedition amounted to five hundred 
head of cattle, five hundred horses and mules, one hundred bales of cot- 
ton, and ten thousand pounds of bacon. All bridges were either burned 



AXD IIIS CAMPAIGNS. 279 

or demolished, and all forage destroyed. In a word, the country was 
divested of every thing useful to the enemy.* 

In the mean time, General Grant set the sappers and mi- 
ners at work upon the most eligible sites. Mines were 
dug, powder planted, and every thing made ready to blow 
up the advanced works, at the shortest notice. The rebel 
works, in the front and rear, were also bombarded, at in- 
tervals, night and day, first by the fleet, then from the ap- 
proaching parallels of the U. S. forces and so alternately, 
during the whole month of the siege. And as the shells 
would burst in the works, it would inspire the men to re- 
new their task with greater vigor. 

About the middle of June, the Ninth Army Corps, under 
General Parke, and a part of the Sixteenth Army Corps, 
under General Washburne, was added to General Grant's 
command, and by him stationed in the vicinity of the Big 
Black River, to resist any movement of Johnston, and, if 
necessr.ry, to attack and drive him back. 

It had also been reported that General Johnston was 
again approaching the Big Black River, with a very large 
improvised force. About this time a courier was captured, 
who had managed to get out of Vicksburg during the 
night, and had passed the picket lines under cover of the 
darkness. He had upon him a number of letters from the 
rebel soldiers, to their wives. The men wrote in a sad 
tone ; but stated that they were resigned, and put their 
trust in the Lord. They, however, still lived in hopes of 
Joe Johnston coming to their relief. An expedition was 
then formed to resist the advance of General Johnston's 
forces, and General Sherman was placed in command. 
General Grant, in his notes to General Sherman, accompa^ 
nying the order for the movement, spoke of these letters. 

* Army Correspondence. 



280 GENERAL GRANT 

"They seem," said he, "to put a great deal of faith in 
the Lord, and Joe Johnston, but you must whip Johnston 
at least fifteen miles from here." 

The following order, to General Parke, shows the same 
decided determination with regard to Johnston's forces : 

June 22, 1863. 

General Parke: — Sherman goes out from here with five brigades) 
aud Osterhaus's Division subject to his orders besides. In addition tc 
this, another division, 5,000 strong, is notified to be in readiness to move 
on notice. In addition to this, I can spare still another division, 6.000 
strong, if they should be required. We want to whip Johnston at least 
fifteen miles off, if possible. U. S. Grant, Major- General. 

The result of the movement was, that General Johnston, 
finding General Grant's position to be as strong in the rear 
as it was in the front, and that Vicksburg was certainly 
doomed, gave up all hope of diverting the attacking general 
from his settled purpose, and retreated towards Jackson. 



AND niS CAMPAIGNS. 281 



CHAPTER XXXIX. 

THE EXPLOSION OF THE MINES. 

The sappers and miners pushed on their work with a 
steady perseverance, until, on June 25th, 1803, the mint's 
were ready to be sprung. All the time the excavation, ft ad 
been in progress a most rigid guard had been kept upon 
the entrances, and even the field and line officers of General 
Grant's army were not allowed to inspect the saps and 
mines. The utmost possible secrecv was observed con- 
cerning them, and though some knew the intention to blow 
up the enemy's works, yet how 01 where it was to be done 
was a matter known to but few. The guards at the head 
of the saps lending to the entrance of the mine, were in- 
structed to allow no one to pass under the rank of a general, 
with an exception in the case of engineers and workmen 
immediately in charge. 

The following is a brief description of the mining 
operations that were performed under General Grant's 
directions : 

In order to reach the main sap running to the mine, it 
was necessary to traverse a distance of three hundred yards, 
in front of the enemy's main work. To do this a series of 
trenches were dug, taking directions at no time exposed 
to an enfilading fire from the enemy, yet, at every yard, 
approaching nearer and nearer, with perfect safety to the 
Bappers. In these works a number of sharpshooters were 
posted to keep the enemy from looking over and discovering 



282 GENEEAL GEANT 

or interfering with the labors of the mining party. In 
different locations along the works, batteries were thrown 
up and guns mounted, which had excellent battering 
positions. 

A number of other heavy batteries were also in working 
order, but in locations that did not possess the advantages 
of those already mentioned. 

From the head of the trench to the mouth of the mine 
ran a ditch about six feet wide and six feet deep, the earth 
of which was thrown upon the surface towards the enemy. 
This afforded double security and protection against the 
enemy's projectiles. The length of this trench was about 
thirty-five yards. 

On approaching the mine, the visitor, on locking round, 
found himself in plain view and within five yards of the 
enemy's strongest work, the parapet of which was about 
twenty feet from the bottom of the ditch. This work was 
evidently of sod, almost perpendicular on its outer face, 
intended to mount four guns, and was supposed to be the 
keep of the rebel position. A few steps in advance, and the 
visitor was before the mine, which here had the appearance 
of a square shaft dug into the earth, with a gradual declivity 
as you penetrate. The entrance was made in the scarp of 
the enemy's fort, and presented an opening four feet square, 
well framed with timber to keep up the loose earth which 
the projectiles of the attacking party had broken from the 
face of the work. In order to protect the entrance a num- 
ber of gabions and boxes had been piled up before the mouth, 
and afforded ample security from hand grenades and shell 
thrown over by the rebel troops inside. 

The main gallery, from the mouth to the point of diver- 
gence of the other galleries, measured thirty-five feet. 
Here three smaller galleries set out, one ten feet deep, 
obliquely to the left ; another eight feet, diverging to the 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 283 

right, aud a third, eight feet in length, being a continuation 
of the main gallery. The chambers for the reception of 
the powder were let into the bottom of the shaft, and Avere 
about two feet in depth. 

Having completed one gallery, the powder was brought 
up and packed into the chambers in almost equal quantities, 
the entire quantity used being twenty -two hundred pounds, 
one thousand of which were placed at the end of the main 
gallery, the remainder being distributed in the extremities 
of the smaller galleries. From each of the chambers a fuse 
was run out to the mouth of the shaft, where the match 
was to be applied at the designated time. 

The working party engaged on the mines was formed of 
a detail from various regiments under General Grant, a call 
being made to forward to head-quarters all practical miners 
in the regiments. Accordingly in a few hours fifty picked 
men, chiefly Welsh, Scotch, English, and Irish, of experience 
in the old country, were immediately organized into a corps, 
under the direct command of a miner of reputation. This 
party reported to the chief of the corps of engineers, and 
the work at once commenced, the entire time occupied for 
the excavation being forty hours. 

Another sap was also, on the last day, run off to the left, 
at an angle to the main one leading to the mine. This sap 
ran parallel to the enemy's breastwork and just outside of 
Avhere ran the exterior end of the ditch, which had been 
partly filled. The object of this new sap was to afford a 
secure place for the Union sharpshooters, and enable them 
to hold their ground on the right by keeping down a flank 
fire. The length of the sap was about fifty yards. 

It may be supposed by some that the running of mines is 
the mere operation of the pick and shovel, without inter- 
ference on the part of the enemy by means of the same 
instruments, as well as by his riflemen picking off the men 



2S4 GENERAL GRANT 

as they approach, or by throwing hand grenades and shell 
over the parapet amongst the men. This idea is qui to 
different from the reality. A few facts connected With the 
proceedings may enable the reader to form some notion of 
tin's dangerous operation. The work is generally per- 
formed after dark; and on the night preceding the explosion 
of June 25th, 1863, the working party returned U< tne mine, 
already a depth of thirty-five feet, which *af the entire 
number of feet of the main gallery. The men had but 
fairly commenced when they heard, as they supposed, near 
by, the picking and shovelling of another party, which 
they knew to be the enemy, endeavoring to intercept the 
Union mine. The men of the attacking side at once desist- 
ed from their labors, and applied their ears to the walls of 
the gallery in order to detect the direction of approach, 
if possible, of the enemy's countermine. Soon, however, 
the enemy himself ceased his labors. The Unionists once 
more resumed operations, and worked until midnight, the 
enemy working at the same time, and seemingly approach- 
ing the outside shaft. "At this juncture," says a corre- 
spondent, " an unexpected panic overcame the workers, and 
they hurried out of the mine with considerable dispatch. 
The cause of this excitement is said to have been a 
suspicion that the enemy was about to blow up his own 
mine, in view of counteracting our own. Accordingly 
nothing was done until morning, when the party, reassured, 
renewed their work." 

The following interesting account of the firing and ex- 
plosion of the mine is given by an army correspondent 
who witnessed the whole affair: 

At three o'clock this afternoon a messenger arrived from the mine, 
bringing information that every thing was in readiness to apply the 
natch. The troops in the outer works were all withdrawn, with the 
exception of a small body of sharpshooters, who were retained to keep 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 285 

up a demonstration until the fuse was ignited, when they, also, were to 
retire hastily to a respectful distance under cover of one of the paral- 
lels. 

As part of the grand programme, Leggett's Brigade was ordered 
under arms, and marched into the trenches as near the front as safety 
would permit. Here they rested, awaiting the preconcerted signal, v*hen 
they were to rush upon the work immediately on the heels of the foilorn 
hope, vi Inch dangerous duty W3S set apart for a detachment of one hun- 
dred men from the Forty-fifth Illinois Infantry, and another hundred 
from the Twenty-third Indiana. These bodies were thrown out in the 
extreme advance, with instructions for the Forty-fifth Illinois to assault 
on the right on Fort Hill, the moment the explosion had taken place, 
and the Twenty-third Indiana was to rush out the sap running to the 
left and attack the curtain of the fort extending towards the town. 
Hero they were to keep clown, by means of musketry, the enemy's rifle- 
men; for without this accomplished, we would have suffered an enfila- 
ding fire on the attackers upon the main fort. 

As a support to the brigade of Leggett, General Stephenson's com- 
mand was ordered to hold itself in readiness to move at a moment's no- 
tice. As an additional force, and kind of reserve to the support, the 
Seventeenth Iowa and Fifty-sixth Illinois, of General John E. Smith's 
Division, and the Seventeenth Wisconsin, of Ransom's Brigade, Mc- 
Arthur's Division, were brought to the centre and held to the rear to 
await the development of the struggle. These troops carried nothing 
with them but their muskets and cartridge boxes; many of them were in 
their shirt sleeves, evidently anticipating warm work, if engaged. 

As might be supposed, the explosion was designated as the signal 
for a general simultaneous co-operation all along the lines from right 
to left. In making an attack of this character, it was expected that 
the attention of the enemy would be distracted, and the force within 
be distributed along the entire line, instead of being concentrated upon 
the one fort in front of this corps, which would result in inevitable, per- 
haps irreparable defeat. All these contingencies were wisely considered, 
and the subsequent results exemplified how necessary was the co-opera- 
t;'oa o: the other commands. 

Every thing was finished. The vitalizing spark had quickened the 
ditherto passive agent, and the now harmless flashes went hurrying to 
fie centre. The troops had been withdrawn. The forlorn hope stood 
nit in plain view, boldly awaiting the uncertainties of the precarious 
t/ff.ce. A chilling seusation ran through the frame as an observer looked 



286 GENEEAL GEAXT 

down upoa this devoted band about to hurl itself into the breach — per- 
chance into the jaws of death. Thousands of men in arms flashed on 
every hill. Every one was speechless. Even men of tried valor — vet- 
erans insensible to the shouts of contending battalions, or nerved to the 
shrieks of comrades suffering under the torture of painful agonies — 
stood motionless as they directed their eyes upon the spot where soon 
the terror of a buried agency would discover itself in wild concussions 
and contortions, carrying annihilation to all within the scope of its tre- 
mendous power. It was the seeming torpor which precedes the antago- 
nism of powerfid bodies. Five minutes had elapsed. It seemed like an 
existence. Five minutes more, and yet no signs of the expected exhibi- 
tion An indescribable sensation of impatience, blended with a still active 
anticipation, ran through the assembled spectators. A small pall of 
smoke now discovered itself; every one thought the crisis had come, 
and almost saw the terrific scene which the mind had depicted. But 
not yet. Every eye now centered upon the smoke, momentarily grow- 
ing greater and greater. Thus another five minutes wore away, and 
curiosity was not satisfied. Another few minutes, then the explosion; 
and upon the horizon could be seen an enormous column of earth, dust, 
timbers, and projectiles lifted into the air at an altitude of at least eighty 
feet. One entire face of the fort was disembodied and scattered in 
particles all over the surrounding surface. The right and left faces 
were also much damaged; but fortunately enough of them remained to 
afford an excellent protection on our flanks. 

No sooner had the explosion taken place than the two detachments 
acting as the forlorn hope ran into the fort and sap, as already mention- 
ed. A brisk musketry fire at once commenced between the two parties, 
with about equal effect upon either side. No sooner had these detach- 
ments become well engaged than the rest of Leggett's Brigade joined 
them and entered into the struggle. The regiments relieving each 
other at intervals, the contest now grew severe; both sides, determined 
upon holding their own, were doing their best. Volley after volley was 
fired, though with less carnage than would be supposed. The Forty- 
fifth Illinois charged immediately up to the crest of the parapet, and 
here suffered its heaviest, losing many officers in the assault. 

After a severe contest of half an hour, with varying results, the flag 
of the Forty-fifth appeared upon the summit of the work. The position 
was gained. Cheer after cheer broke through the coufusion and uproar 
of the contest, as-tiring the troops everywhere along the line that the 
Forty-fifth was still itself. The colonel was now left alone in command 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 287 

of the regiment, and he was himself badly bruised by a flying splinter. 
The regiment had also suffered severely in the line, and the troops were 
worn out by excessive heat and hard fighting. 

Relief was necessary. Accordingly another Illinois regiment was 
ordered up and the Forty-fifth drawn off — this was six o'clock p. at. 
After this the action was kept up briskly but steadily for several hours, 
until dusk, when the firing lulled and the men took a respite. While 
the Forty-fifth was so hotly engaged in the fort, the Twenty-third Indi- 
ana followed its first detachment into the sap, from which place they 
were to hold the rebel* at bay during the contest for the fort. The reb- 
els fought desperately as well at this point as the other ; but the char- 
acter of the engagement was different, the troops firing at each other 
over breastworks of earth. This regiment displayed great gallantry and 
did excellent service in its way. In consequence of the limited space in 
which to fight, not more than one regiment could act in either place at 
the same time ; accordingly regiments were relieved by regiments as 
rapidly as the necessities of the occasion demanded. 

During the hottest of the action General Leggett was in the fort in the 
midst of his troops, sharing their dangers and partaking of their glory. 
While here, a shell from one of the enemy's guns exploded in a timber 
lying on the parapet, distributing splinters in all directions, one of which 
struck the General on the breast, knocking him over. Though some- 
what bruised and stunned, he soon recovered himself, and taking a chair, 
sat in one of the trenches near the fort, where he could be seen by his 
men. 

The explosion of the mine was the signal for the opening of the artil- 
lery of the entire line. The left division of General McPherson's Seven- 
teenth or centre Corps opened first, and discharges were repeated along 
the left through General Ord's Thirteenth Corps, and Herron's extreme 
"left division," until the sound struck the ear like the mutterings of 
distant thunder. General Sherman, on the right, also opened his artil- 
lery about the same time and occupied the enemy's attention along his 
front. Every shell struck the parapet, and, bounding over, exploded in 
the midst of the enemy's forces beyond. The scene at this time was 
one of the utmost sublimity. The roar of artillery, rattle of small arms, 
the cheers of the men, flashes of fight, wreathes of pale blue smoke over 
different parts of the field, the bursting of shell, the fierce whistle of 
solid shot, the deep boom of the mortars, the broadsides of the ships of 
war, and added to all this, the vigorous replies of the enemy, set up a 
diu which beggars all description. The peculiar configuration of the 



288 GENERAL GRANT 

field afforded an opportunity to witness almost every battery and every 
rifle-pit within seeing distance, and it is due to all the troops to say that 
every one did his duty. 

After the possession of the fort was no longer in doubt, the pioneer 
oorps mounted the work with their shovels and set to throwing up earth 
vigorously in order to secure space for artillery. A most fortunate pe- 
culiarity in the explosion was the manner in which the earth was 
thrown out. The appearance of the place was that of a funnel, with 
heavy sides running up to the very crest of the parapet, affording ad- 
mirable protection not only for our troops and pioneers, but turned out 
a ready made fortification in the rough, which, with a slight application 
of the shovel and pick, was ready to receive the guns to be used at this 
point. 

Miraculous as it may seem, amid all the fiery ordeal of this afternoon's 
engagement, one hundred killed and two hundred wounded is a large 
estimate of casualties on our side. 

From a lookout on the summit of an eminence near the rebel works 
the movements of the enemy could be plainly watched. An individual 
in the tower, just prior to the explosion of the mine, saw two rebel regi- 
ments marching out to the fort. Of a sudden — perhaps upon seeing the 
smoke of the fuse — the troops turned about and ran towards the town 
in perfect panic. They were not seen again during the fight; but other 
regiments were brought up to supply their place.* 

Another correspondent gives the following brief sketch 
of the explosion : 

This morning the work was completed, an immense quantity of gun- 
powder was stored in the cavity prepared to receive it, and the fuse 
train was laid. At noon the different regiments of the Seventeenth 
Corps, selected to make the assault upon the breach when it should have 
been effected, were marshalled in long lines upon the near slopes of tho 
hills immediately confronting the doomed rebel fortifications, where, dis- 
posed for the attack, they impatiently awaited the denouement. The 
rebels seemed to discover that some movement was on foot, for from the 
moment our troops came into position until the explosion took place their 
sharpshooters kept up an incessant fire from the whole line of their 
works. 

At length all was in readiness ; the fuse train was fired, and it went 

* Army Correspondence. 






AND IIIS CAMPAIGNS. 289 

fizzing and popping through the zigzag line of trenches, until for a 
moment it vanished. Its disappearance was quickly succeeded by the 
explosion, and the mine was sprung. So terrible a spectacle is seldom 
witnessed. Dust, dirt, smoke, gabions, stockades, timber, gun-carriages, 
logs — in fact, every thing connected with the fort — rose hundreds of feet 
into the air, as if vomited forth from a volcano. Some who were close 
spectators even say that they saw the bodies of the poor wretches who 
a moment before had lined the ramparts of the work.* 

As soon as the explosion had taken place, the greatest 
activity was manifested along the whole line, under the 
soul-inspiring orders of General Grant. The following is 
a specimen of the emphatic style with which that general 
calls for vigilance on the part of his troops : 

June 25, 1863. 

General Obd : — McPherson occupies the crater made by the explosion. 

He will have guns in battery there by morning. He has been hard at 

work running rifle-pits right, and thinks he will hold all gained. Keep 

Smith's Division sleeping under arms to-night ready for an emergency. 

Their services may be required particularly about daylight. There should 

be the greatest vigilance along the whole line. 

U. S. Grant, Major- General. 

In the mean time, the gunboat fleet off Warrenton com- 
menced a bombardment of the enemy's forts. This was 
kept up without intermission until midnight, when it was 
slackened to desultory shots. The fuses of the shells as 
they ascended in the air were easily distinguishable, and 
looked in their course like shooting meteors. When they 
would strike the shell would explode with a terrific report. 
Some of the shells exploded in the air, and the flashes which 
they emitted looked like an immense piece of pyrotechny. 

* Army Correspondence. 
13 



290 GENERAL GRANT 



CHAPTER XL. 

THE SURRENDER OP VICKSBURG. 

Aftee the explosion of the mine, and the occupation of 
that part of the rebel works, General Grant resumed the 
operation of constructing parallels, for the purpose of ap- 
proaching near enough to the rebel fortifications to take 
them by a sudden dash. As the U. S. troops advanced, the 
rebels retired, constructing inner lines of defences as the 
outer ones were taken. On the 28th of June the Union 
lines were thirteen hundred yards nearer the city than the 
original works. As these hues were advanced on all sides 
at the same time, the rebel area of operations became 
more and more circumscribed. 

During this bombardment every effort was made to re- 
duce the rebel works without unnecessarily damaging the 
city: On this subject a correspondent writes as follows : 

Be it understood, that at no time has General Grant sought the destruc- 
tion of the city. He wishes to spare it for the city itself, and because it con- 
tains women and children. As long as the rebel army connnes its opera- 
tions outside its limits the city will remain intact. If it had been 
necessary to destroy the city, our guns now in range could have accom- 
plished the work. 

The capture of Vicksburg is a foregone conclusion. We get the 
evidence of the fact from the rebels themselves. A few days ago a 
rebel mail was captured coming out from Vicksburg, in which were let- 
ters from prominent men in the rebel army, who state that they cannot 
hold out much longer, and informing their friends that they expect to 
spend their summer in northern prisons. Better evidence of the con- 
dition of things in the rebel army cannot be desired. 

So far as tho siege of this place goes, I presume the people at home 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 291 

in their easy chairs, think it ought to have been finished long since. 
To such let me say. could they be present here, and make a tour of the 
country in this vicinity, and see the configuration of the country, its 
broken topography, its high and abrupt hills, deep gullies, gorges and 
dilapidated roads, they would then realize the difficulties of the work. 
Then there is a large army to feed, great materiel to be brought into 
position, all of which demands large transportation, and the united ef- 
forts of thousands of men. 

General Grant acts independently of opinions of the public. He 
fully realizes the responsibility of his position, and in the duty before 
him, he is determined to accomplish his work with as great an economy 
of human life as possible. He feels now that the prize is within his grasp, 
and a little patience will achieve all, which, if rashly sought, might cost 
the lives of the brave army with whom he has gained so mauy vic- 
tories.* 

General Sherman's expedition returned from the special 
duty assigned it without meeting anywhere near the doom- 
ed city the rebel army under General Joseph E. Johnston. 
The commander, however, obtained sufficient intelligence 
of the rebel movements to decide General Grant as to his 
plan of operations immediately after the reduction of 
Vicksburg. 

The bombardment and approaches steadily progressed, 
and it was whispered about among the troops that on the 
following anniversary of the day of Independence a grand 
assault was to be made, for the purpose of taking the place 
by storm. The rebels, doubtless, were apprised of this 
fact, or at least suspected it, for, on the moving of the 
previous day, July 3d, 1863, a flag of truce left the rebel 
lines, with a sealed communication for General Grant, 
borne by General Bo wen and Colonel Montgomery. The 
bearers of the document having been taken to the nearest 
general head-quarters, a courier was at once dispatched 
with all possible haste to the chief commanding office. 

* Army Correspondence. 



292 GENERAL, GRANT 

i 

On opening the document General Grant found the fol 
lowing communication addressed to himself: 

Head-Quarters, Vicksburg, July 3, 1863. 
Major-General Grant, commanding United States forces : 

General : — I have the honor to propose to you an armistice for — 
hours, with a view to arranging terms for the capitulation of Yicks- 
burg. To this end, if agreeable to you, I will appoint three commis- 
sioners, to meet a like number to be named by yourself, at such place 
and hour as you may find convenient. I make this proposition to 
save the further effusion of blood, which must otherwise be shed to a 
frightful extent, feeling myself fully able to maintain my position for a 
yet indefinite period. This communication will be handed you, under 
a flag of truce, by Major-General James Bowen. 

Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

J. C. Pembertok. 

To this General Grant replied as follows : 

Head-Quarters, Department of Tennessee, ) 
In the Field, near Vicksburg, July 3, 1863. f 
Lieutenant-General J. C. Pemberton, commanding Confederate forces, &c. : 
General : — Your note of this date, just received, proposes an armis- 
tice of several hours, for the purpose of arranging terms of capitula- 
tion through commissioners to be appointed, &c. The effusion of blood 
you propose stopping by this course, can be ended at any time you may 
choose, by an unconditional surrender of the city and garrison. Men who 
have shown so much endurance and courage as those now in Vicks- 
burg, will always challenge the respect of an adversary, and I can 
assure you will be treated with all the respect due them as prisoners 
of war. I do not favor the proposition of appointing commissioners to 
arrange termsw capitulation, because I have no other terms than those 
indicated above. 

I am, General, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

U. S. Grant, Major- General. 

General Bowen expressed a wish to converse with the 
chief General on this important matter ; but the latter at 
once declined. General Bowen then requested that Gen- 
eral Grant would meet General Pemberton on neutral 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 203 

ground, as more could be arranged at one personal inter- 
view than by an exchange of numerous dispatches. Gene- 
ral Grant very readily replied he would willingly do so in 
person, offering to meet General Pemberton the same 
afternoon at three o'clock, and consult with him on the 
terms he would grant the garrison. This reply was placed 
in the hands of the rebel messengers, who, blindfolded, 
were conducted back to the place of entrance to the Union 
lines, and were there set at liberty, to return to General 
Pemberton with the answer. 

Nothing more was now done until afternoon. The ar- 
tillery re-opened, and the siege went on as before. By 
noon, however, the general promulgated his orders, requir- 
ing a temporary cessation of hostilities. 

The following interesting account of the interview be- 
tween Generals Grant and Pemberton, is given by one 
who had followed the army during the whole campaign : 

At three o'clock precisely, one gun, the prearranged signal, was 
fired, and immediately replied to by the enemy. General Pemberton 
then made his appearance on the works in McPherson's front, under 
a white flag, considerably on the left of what is known as Fort 
Hill. General Grant rode through our trenches until he came to an 
outlet, leading to a small green space, which had not been trod by 
either army, nere he dismounted, and advanced to meet General Pem- 
berton, with whom he shook hands, and greeted familiarly. 

It was beneath the outspreading branches of a gigantic oak that the 
conference of the generals took place. Here presented the only space 
whi'jn had not been used for some purpose or other by the contending 
armies. The ground was covered with a fresh, luxuriant verdure ; here 
and there a shrub or clump of bushes could be seen standing out from 
the green growth on the surface, while several oaks filled up the 
scene, and gave it character. Some of the trees in their tops exhibited 
the effects of flying projectiles, by the loss of limbs or torn foliage, and 
in their trunks the indentations of smaller missiles plainly marked the 
occurrences to which they had been silent witnesses. 

The party made up to take part in the conference was composed as 
follows : 



294 GENERAL GRANT 

United Stales Officers. 
Major-General U. S. Grant. 
Major-General James B. McPherson. 
Brigadier-General A. J. Smith. 

Relel Officers. 

Lieutenant-General John C. Pemberton. 

Major-General Bowen. 

Colonel Montgomery, A. A.-G. to General Pemberton. 

"When Generals Grant and Pemberton met they shook hands, Colonel 
Montgomery introducing the party. A short silence ensued, at the ex- 
piration of which General Pemberton remarked : 

"General Grant, I meet you in order to arrange terms for the capitu- 
lation of the city of Vicksburg and its garrison. "What terms do you 
demand?" 

" Unconditional surrender" replied General Grant. 

" Unconditional surrender?" said Pemberton. "Never, so long as I 
have a man left me! I will fight rather." 

" Then, sir, you can continue the defence" coolly said General Grant. 
" Mij army has never been in a better condition for the prosecution of the 
siege." 

During the passing of these few preliminaries, General Pemberton 
was greatly agitated, quaking from head to foot, while General Grant 
experienced all his natural self-possession, and evinced not the least sign 
of embarrassment. 

After a short conversation standing, by a kind of mutual tendency 
the two generals wandered off from the rest of the party and seated 
themselves on the grass, in a cluster of bushes, where alone they talked 
over the important events then pending. General Grant could be seen, 
even at that distance, talking coolly, occasionally giving a few puffs at 
his favorite companion — his black cigar. General McPherson, General 
A. J. Smith, General Bowen, and Colonel Montgomery, imitating the 
example of the commanding generals, seated themselves at some distance 
off, while the respective staffs of the generals formed another and larger 
group in the rear. 

After a lengthy conversation the generals separated. General Pem- 
Dorton did not come to any conclusion on the matter, but stated his 
intention to submit the matter to a council of general officers of his com- 
mand ; and, in the event of their assent, the surrender of the city should 
be made in the morning. Until morning was given him to consider, to 



1 
i 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 295 

determine upon the matter, and send in his final reply. The generals 
now rode to their respective quarters.* 

General Grant next conferred at his head-quarters with 
his corps and division commanders, and sent the following 
letter to General Pemherton, by the hands of General Logan 
aud Lieutenant-Colonel Wilson : 

Head-Quarters, Department of Tennessee, ) 

Near Vicksburg, July 3, 1863. f 

Lieutenant-General J. C. Pemberton, commanding Confederate forces, 

Vicksburg, Miss: 

General : In conformity with the agreement of this afternoon, I will 
submit the following proposition for the surrender of the city of Vicks- 
burg, public stores, &c. On your accepting the terms proposed, I will 
march in one division, as a guard, and take possession at eight o'clock 
to-morrow morning. As soon as paroles can be made out and signed by 
tho officers and men, you will be allowed to march out of our lines, the 
officers taking with them their regimental clothing, and staff, field, and 
cavalry officers one horse each. The rank and file will be allowed all 
their clothing, but no other property. 

If these conditions are accepted, any amount of rations you may deem 
necessary can be taken from the stores you now have, and also the 
necessary cooking utensils for preparing them; thirty wagons also, 
counting two two-horse or mule teams as one. You will be allowed to 
transport such articles as cannot be carried along. The same conditions 
will be allowed to all sick and wounded officers and privates, as fast as 
they become able to travel. The paroles for these latter must be signed, 
however, whilst officers are present, authorized to sign the roll of 
prisoners. 

I am, General, very respectfully, 

Tour obedient servant, 

U. S. Grant, Major- General 

The same correspondent, whose description of the inter- 
view between the generals has already been given, writes 
under date of July 4th, as follows : 

From the time of the breaking up of the conference of generals, till 
* Army Correspondence. 



296 GENERAL GRANT 

this morning, when the surrender became an irrevocable fact, the im- 
patience and restlessness of the entire army was greater than can 
possibly be imagined. The troops ceased their customary vigilance and 
wandered from camp to camp in a state of listless reaction. There was 
no firing from the trenches or batteries, for orders had been promulgated 
that all operations of a hostile character should cease until resumed by 
authority from head-quarters. This was the first instance of a cessation 
of firing since our arrival. The existence of the two armies was not 
perceptible except in the presence of the troops. Everywhere silence 
and relaxation reigned. It was a change from the most exacting duty 
on the one hand, to the most extreme idleness on the other. The only 
appearance of duty by either army was on the part of a few sentinels, 
national and rebel, posted at various points along our linos and the rebel 
works, to keep back the curious of our own men, as well as to stay the 
desire of the enemy to penetrate within our lines and see the perfect 
network of approaches by means of which we have advanced unharmed 
up to the very ditches of their forts. 

The remainder of yesterday was passed by many of the soldiers of 
both armies in chats upon various matters connected with the campaign. 
Knots of a half dozen of our men, and a like number of rebels, could be 
seen here and there reclining upon the exterior slope of the enemy's 
works, engaged in enthusiastic conversation, not unfrequently relieving 
its monotony by physical application upon each other, to enforce the 
veracity of their assertions, when doubted by the opposite party. Thus 
did they wile away the hours of the evening until tattoo, when the 
soldiers of each side, excepting those on sentinel duty, disappeared. 

During the night no startling occurrences happened, all being quiet. 

The morning of this thrice glorious Fourth dawned with a cloudless 
sky, and, even ere the sun had risen, the camps were alive with an 
anticipating and impatient set, whose loquacity poured itself forth, in a 
confusion of languages which might be heard ringing in the clear air at 
a distance several times the usual compass of the human voice. Nor 
were the speculations of the men less various than their language. One 
had his reasons for knowing that the rebels were using the present mo- 
ments of respite to strengthen themselves, or to consolidate their force 
on some unexpected point of attack, or perhaps to effect some other 
designs equally as nefarious, of which we were not aware. Some said 
the enemy had no intention of surrendering, but, fearing a first class 
Fourth of July bombardment, they hit upon the present plan of eluding 
euch a direful visitation and its necessary results. In this way rea- 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 207 

doned many. Another set thought, if it really were the intention of 
the enemy to surrender, it was time they were coming to a conclusion. 
They " could not see why they did not do so at once," they " thought 
the rebels were playing a sharp game," and so forth; every man giving 
himself a vast amount of unnecessary trouble and conce-n. 

Thus time moved along heavily, each moment passing like a duration 
of almost weeks, until the eventful time had arrived, and it was known 
to a certainty that Vicksburg had indeed surrendered. 

Having a few hours leisure this morning, prior to the arrival of the 
dispatch from General Pemberton, stating he was ready to surrender, I 
took occasion to visit General Grant, and found everybody about his 
head-quarters in a state of the liveliest satisfaction. It was evident the 
glorious events of the day were duly appreciated. 

The General I found in conversation more animated than I have ever 
known him. He is evidently contented with the manner in which he 
has acquitted himself of the responsible task which has for more than 
five months engrossed his mind and his army. The consummation is 
one of which he may well be proud. From Bruinsburg to Vicksburg, 
nineteen days, presents one of the most active records of marches, actions, 
and victories of the war. All the combined operations of our armies, 
for a similar length of time, cannot equal it. It is unparalleled, the only 
campaign of the war which has involved celerity of movement, attack, victory, 
pursuit, and the annihilation of the enemy. But of this I have occasion to 
speak in another place, and will therefore drop it for the present. 

Among other things, the General signified his intention to enter into an 
immediate pursuit of the rebel Johnston. He was ready as soon as he 
received Pemberton's final reply to order the troops under Sherman (then 
resting this side of the Big Black) across the river, while the contingent 
forces held at Haines and Snyder's bluffs were to follow, overtake and 
effect a junction with the other troops. This would create a force equal 
to all the possibilities of the campaign, and irretrievably wrest Southern 
Mississippi, with the towns of Jackson, Canton, and Meridian, from the 
possession of the enemy. Such action would restore a largo territory to 
the government, and weaken the enemy correspondingly by subtracting 
so much from his already limited resources. 

From General Grant I returned to the head-quarters of the Seven- 
teenth (McPhersou's) Corps, and found the same prevailing good humor 
that I remarked everywhere else.* 

* Army Correspondence. 
13* 



298 GENERAL GRANT 

The officers who received General Grant's letter stated 
that it would be impossible to answer it by night, and it 
was not till a little before the peep of day that the pro- 
posed reply was furnished. Early in the morning, how- 
ever, a messenger arrived at the Union lines with the fol- 
lowing letter from General Pemberton : 

Head-Quarters, Vicksburg, July 3, 1863. 
Major-General Grant, commanding United States forces : 

General: — I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your com- 
munication of this date proposing terms for the surrender of this garrison 
and post. In the main your terms are accepted; but in justice both to 
the honor and spirit of my troops, manifested in the defence of Vicks- 
burg, I have the honor to submit the following amendments, which, if 
acceded to by you, will perfect the agreement between us. At ten 
o'clock to-morrow I propose to evacuate the works in and around Vicks- 
burg, and to surrender the city and garrison under my command by 
inarching out with my colors and arms and stacking them in front of my 
•present limits, after which you will take possession ; officers to retain their 
side arms and personal property, and the rights and property of citizens 
to be respected. 

I am, General, yours, very respectfully, 

J. C. Pemberton, Lieutenant- General. 

This was a proposal for the besieged to march out with 
the honors of war, only allowed to garrisons after a very 
obstinate and brave defence. It is entirely optional on the 
part of the victor to allow such a privilege, and many com- 
manders have entirely refused it. 

General Grant, however, with his accustomed magna- 
nimity to the conquered, acquiesced in the request as fol- 
lows: 

Head-Quarters, Department of Tennessee, ) 
Before Vicksburg, July 4, 1863. ) 

Lieutenant-General Pemberton, commanding forces in Vicksburg : 

General : — I have the honor to acknowledge your communication of 
the 3d of July. The amendments proposed by you cannot be acceded 
to in full. It will be necessary to furnish every officer and man with a 



AXD HIS CAMPAIGNS. 299 

parole signed by himself, which, with the completion of the rolls of 
prisoners, will necessarily take some time. Again, I can make no stipu- 
lation with regard to the treatment of citizens and their private property. 
Wlrile I do not propose to cause any of them any undue annoyance or loss, 
I cannot consent to leave myself under restraint by stipulations. The prop- 
erty which officers can be allowed to take with them will be as stated 
in the proposition of last evening — that is, that officers will be allowed 
their private baggage and side arms, and mounted officers one horse each. If 
you mean by your proposition for each brigade to march to the front oftlie lines 
now occupied by it, and slack their arms at ten o'clock A. M., and then return 
to the inside and remain as prisoners until properly paroled, I will make no ob- 
jection to it. Should no modifications be made of your acceptance of my 
terms by nine o'clock a. it., I shall regard them as having been rejected, 
and act accordingly. Should these terms be accepted, white flags will be 
displayed along your lines to prevent such of my troops as may not have 
been notified from firing on your men. 
I am, General, very respectfully, 

Your obedient servant, 

U. S. Grant, Major- General U. S. A. 

After a very short consultation with his general officers, 
the commandant of Vicksburg sent the following reply : 

Head-Quarters, Yicksbdrg, July 4, 1863 
Major-General U. S. Grant, commanding United States forces, etc. : 

General : — I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your com- 
munication of this date, and, in reply, to say that the terms proposed by 
you are accepted. 

Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

J. C. Pemberton, Lieutenant- General. 

At ten o'clock on the morning -of July 4th, the above 
final dispatch was received from General Pemberton, 
and he stated that he was ready to capitulate. General 
Grant at once telegraphed to General McPherson's head- 
quarters with instructions that the Seventeenth Corps be 
ordered under arms immediately, to be in readiness to 
move instantly into the city upon the receipt of orders to 
that effect. 

Shortly after the hour above mentioned, the rebel works 



300 GENERAL GRANT 

were surmounted by a large number of white flags along 
the entire lines, extending from right to left. This was 
the signal of surrender. Soon the enemy marched out by 
regiment, on McPherson's front, and stacked their arms 
and returned within, where they were paroled in a body, 
prior to the individual parole of each man. 

The privilege allowed by General Grant to the enemy of 
stacking their arms outside of their fortifications somewhat 
crowded matters, as the Union works were so close that 
the enemy was pressed for room in order to avoid tres- 
passing beyond the small strip of unoccupied territory 
lying between the works of the two armies. However, 
after considerable difficulty, the arms, excepting those of 
several regiments, were deposited according to the provis- 
ions of the surrender, without encroachment upon our ap- 
proaches. 

In attendance upon the capitulation of the rebels there 
were a number of line officers and privates of the Union 
army as lookers on. N"o one had been delegated by General 
Grant to superintend the matter, out of courtesy to t/tc 
enemy, whose noble defence had won them the highest 
esteem of both officers and men. The surrender, there- 
fore, appeared, as it were, a volition, and not of compul- 
sion ; and was hardly known until some time after, owing 
to the quietness with which it was conducted. • General 
Grant had wisely taken this matter into consideration, and 
prevented the lips of the incautious and uncalculating from 
uttering remarks of no good to the Union cause, and not in 
the least calculated to keep alive that harmony of feeling 
which turned out to be one of the most noticeable features 
of the occasion. As it was, as the General had desired, the 
enemy was allowed to conduct the matter according to 
his own liking, so it was done within the limitations of 
the previously stipulated terms of capitulation. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 301 

Several regiments not having room to stack arms with 
the rest of the command, deposited them at the Court 
House. 

Three hours elapsed before the last of the rebel regi- 
ments had surrendered their arms. During this time 
General John A. Logan was engaged in getting his troops 
in readiness tor subsequent movements. 



, 



f02 GENERAL GRANT 



CHAPTER XLI. 

OCCUPATION OF VICKSBURG. — THE LOSSES. 

The Fourth of July, 1863, was one of the most impor- 
tant in the history of the United States, and of its armies. 
On this day the glad tidings of victory in Pennsylvania 
was sounded throughout the land, and on this day the vic- 
torious " Army of Tennessee" took possession of the boast- 
ed stronghold of the rebels — " the Gibraltar of the Mis- 
sissippi" — Vicksburg. 

The entrance into the city of Vicksburg is thus describ- 
ed by a participant : 

It was about one o'clock p. m., before matters had assumed such a 
stage of completion as would admit of the entrance of the city by our 
troops. A slight further detention was also occasioned awaiting the 
pioneer corps, thrown out in advance, to open a passage through the 
breastworks and across the ditches and rifle-pits of the enemy. After 
this was finished, no further obstructions presented themselves, and the 
column moved forward. The order of march was by a seniority of 
brigade commanders, with an exception in the case of the Forty -fifth 
Illinois Infantry, Colonel J. A. Maltby, which was specially ordered to lead 
the column, in consequence of heroic conduct during the siege and operations 
in the campaign against Vicksburg. 

The order of formation, in the march into the city, was 
as follows : 

Major-General U. S. Grant and staff. 

Major-General J. B. McPherson and staff. 

Major-General J. A. Logan and staff. 

Brigadier-General M. D. Leggett, First Brigade, Third Division, led by 
the Forty-fifth Illinois Infantry. 

Brigadier-General Z. B- G. Ransom, First Brigade, Seventh Division, 
temporarily assigned to Logan. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 303 

Brigadier-General John Stevenson, Second Brigade, Third Division; 
and with each brigade its batteries, baggage train, &c. 

The division of General John E. Smith, though part of the Seven- 
teenth Army Corps which was designated by General Grant to occupy 
the city, was held outside of the works as a kind of outer line of guards 
to prevent the escape of prisoners. 

After passing through several inner lines of the rifle-pits and breast- 
works, the column of occupation penetrated the suburbs of the city, and 
marched through its principal streets to the Court House. As might be 
expected, from the long schooling the city had received under the influ- 
ence of the secession conspirators, no demonstrations of satisfaction 
at our arrival were made along the line of march ; but on the contrary, 
houses were closed, the citizens within doors, and the city was wrapped 
in gloom. It seems as if the population anticipated their next step 
would be into the grave. 

Upon arriving at the Court House, the troops were drawn up in line 
facing the building. This done, the ceremony of possession was com- 
pleted by the display of the flags of the Forty-fifth Illinois Infantry, and 
of the head-quarters of the Seventeenth Corps, from the dome of the 
Court House. 

Upon the appearance of the flags the troops cheered vociferously, 
making the city ring to its very suburbs with shouts of the votaries of 
liberty. It was an occasion which few ever have the opportunity of 
witnessing, and one which will secure a life-long remembrance in the 
minds of all present. 

In consideration of the active part taken by the Seventeenth Corps in 
the campaign which consummated in the capture of Vicksburg, that com- 
mand was designated by General Grant to take possession of the city. 
General Logan's Division occupied within the works, while General John 
E. Smith held the Union works without. General McArthur continued 
with General Sherman's army in its operations against Johnston. 

In view of General Grant's plans, Major-General McPherson was ap- 
pointed to the command of the new district about to be formed, and 
having Vicksburg for its centre. 

Major-General Logan commanded the city and its environs. 

The Provost-Marshal's department was placed in charge of Lieutenant- 
Colonel James "Wilson, Provost-Marshal of the corps — Provost-Guard, 
Forty -fifth Illinois Infantry. 

A number of subordinate officers had to be created to carry out the 
laborious and endless details which naturally occur in the administra- 



304 GENERAL GRANT 

tion of a city in population as large as the present. However, as initia- 
tory measures, the above answered every purpose, and the workings of 
the plans were harmonious and effective. There were no disgraceful 
scenes of rapine, violence or insult to note, nor had nny thing occurred 
to compromise as a mass the soldiers of the government. There were a 
few iustances of battering down store doors, to examine the contents 
of the establishments, but this ivassoon stopped upon the inauguration of 
the provost-guard. One rather unaccountable fact was the trouble the 
guard experienced in keeping down the rebel soldiery. The people 
feared the thieving proclivities of their own men even more than ours. 
It was not long, however, before the efficient guard patroling the city 
had picked up all vagrant individuals, compelled them to disgorge, and 
then quietly consigned them to the peaceable retirement of the guard- 
house, to await their trial before his worship, the Provost-Marshal. The 
aforesaid establishment is already quite populous with miscreant secesh, 
and a slight sprinkling of our own unfortunates. While they are 
amongst us they must expect to be obliged to conduct themselves like 
soldiers, and obey the newly inaugurated authority now ruling and in- 
suring order and security to the inhabitants and property within the 
city. The quiet which now prevails everywhere is astonishing, and re- 
flects great credit upon the abilities and judgment of those at the head of 
affairs. 

After the surrender of the city was officially known to the transport- 
ation officers in charge of steamboats at Chickasaw Bayou, there was a 
general, mixed and laughable stampede of boats out of the Yazoo and down 
the Mississippi for the levee of Vicksburg. The John H. Groesbeck, 
being the office boat of the Chief of Transportation, appropriated the 
advance of the Yazoo River batch. 

The transports, however, were not the first to arrive befote the city, 
for the Neptune of the Mississippi was on the alert, and impatiently 
awaited the course of events under full steam. No sooner was the 
flag thrown to the breeze from the Court TTouse than the Admiral's 
glass caught sight of its beautiful folds, and in due time his vessel 
steamed down to the city, followed by all the gunboats in the neigh- 
borhood, and took possession of a few feet of river front. All this was 
duly done, after the authority of the army of the United States was 
socurcd beyond doubt. 

In less than four hours after the city had capitulated, the levees were 
lined with steamers as far as the eye could reach. At least seventy-five 
hud arrived up to that time, and more were coming in hourly. All the 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 305 

boats from below, as well as those from above, were there to swell the 
number. The city had the appearance of a great inland commercial 
metropolis. The levees were almost instantaneously covered with a 
busy, moving crowd of humanity, pushing hither and thither, as if they 
were old residents, and the city had not experienced the interregnum 
of intercourse with the outer world, which had been her fate for nearly 
two years. Many of the boats had already commenced to discharge their 
cargoes, which, of course, occasioned a lively activity on shore, while 
teams and men were busily engaged in hauling the different stores to 
their respective destinations. 

It may be said that Vicksburg is once more a living city. Reclaimed 
from her late oppressors, she is free to share with her sister cities the 
numerous opportunities which have been restored to them by the rein- 
stated authority of our great, and glorious, and ever to be perpetuated 
republic* 

The value of the reduction of Vicksburg was not only 
great in a moral, political, and strategical point of view; 
but it possessed still further importance by inflicting a severe 
loss upon the rebels, in both men and material. 

The following is a rough estimate of the number of offi- 
cers, soldiers, and ordnance, which fell into the hands of 
the United States authorities with the city of Vicksburg: 

One Lieutenant-General, John C. Pemberton, late com- 
mandant of the army for the defence of Vicksburg. 

Nineteen Major and Brigadier-Generals, as follows : — 
Major-General Bowen, Major-General Martin L. Smith and 
Major-General Forney ; Brigadier-Generals Barton, Coch- 
ran, Lee, Vaughn, Reynolds, Baldwin, Harris, Taylor, 
Cummings, Stevenson of Georgia, Hebart, Wall of Texas, 
commanding Texan Legion; Moore, Schoep, Buford, and 
Cockerell. 

Over four thousand field, line, and staff officers. 

About twenty-three thousand effective men, non-commis- 
sioned officers and privates, and over six thousand men in 
hospital. 

* Army Correspondence. 



S 06 GENERAL GRANT 

Ninety siege-guns. 

One hundred and twenty-eight field-pieces. 

Thirty-five thousand (approximately) muskets and rifles, 
principally Enfield, and in excellent order. 

Powder and shell for ordnance of different calibre in 
abundance. 

A large quantity of miscellaneous matter, such as wag- 
ons, a few animals, armorers' tools, machinery, &c. 

Among the military establishments taken possession of 
were the arsenal, well supplied with unused rifles, and the 
foundry, with all conveniences for casting shot, shell, and 
cannon, and capable of doing a great deal of other work 
of a similar character, such as casting. 

The troops taken prisoners were mainly composed of 
Mississippians, called " The State troops," Georgians, Ala- 
bamians, Louisianians, Missourians, and regulars. 

The following is a table compiled from various sources, 
and showing, at a glance, the estimated losses of the rebels, 
in men, from the commencement of the campaign, on April 
30th, to the final surrender of the city : 

Prisoners. 

Lieutenant-General 1 

Major and Brigadier-Generals 19 

Field, staff, and line officers 4,600 

Non-commissioned officers and privates 30,000 

Total, without regard to rank 34,620 

Killed, Wounded, and Stragglers. 

Killed in battles and skirmishes 1,000 

"Wounded in battles and skirmishes 4,000 

Captured in hospitals in Vieksburg and elsewhere 6,000 

Stragglers, including men cut off and unable to rejoin their com- 
mands 800 

Total 11,800 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 307 

Recapitulation. 

Total prisoners 31,620 

Killed, wounded, and in hospital 11,000 

Stragglers, &c 800 

Making a loss to the enemy, in sixty-five days, of 40,420 

The following table also shows the losses of material 
sustained by the enemy during the same length of tiufe: 

Field Artillery. Pieces. 

Captured in battle 83 

At Vicksburg 128 

Total 211 

Siege Artillery. 

At Vicksburg 90 

Captured Small-Arms. 

In battle 10,000 

At Vicksburg , 35,000 



Total 45,000 

Recapitulation. 

Artillery captured 301 

Muskets and rifles 45,000 

Besides this, a number of field-pieces and siege-guns were destroyed 
at Jackson, Haines and Snyder's Bluffs, which are not included in the 
above estimate.* 

General Grant, in his official report, sums up the Union 
losses, during the series of battles of the Vicksburg cam- 
paign, as follows : 

Killed. Wounded. Missing. Total. 

Port Gibson, 130 

Fourteen-Mile Creek (skirmish) . 4 

Raymond, 69 

Jackson, 40 

Champion's Hill, 426 

Big Black Railroad Bridge, . . 29 

Vicksburg, 245 

Grand Total, 943 7,095f 537 8,575. 

* New York Herald estimates. See also Appendix G. 

{■Nearly ono-half of the wounded returned to duty within a month. 



718 


5 853 


24 


— 28 


341 


32 442 


240 


6 2S6 


1,842 


189 2,457 


242 


2 273 


3,688 


303 4,236 



308 GENERAL GRANT 

General Recapitulation. 
Rebel losses in killed, wounded, stragglers, and pris- 
oners, 46,420 

Union losses, do. do. do. do. 8,575 



Balance in favor of Grant, 37,845 

In addition, therefore, to the immense quantity of stores 
secured with the reduction of Vicksburg, a balance of 
nearly thirty-eight thousand men had to be placed to the 
credit of Grant's services during this campaign. 

The following extract, from General Grant's report, will 
show how the army subsisted during the first twenty days 
of the Vicksburg campaign : 

In the march from Bruinsburg to Yicksburg, covering a period of 
twenty days, before supplies could be obtained from government stores, 
only five days' rations were issued, and three days of those were taken 
in haversacks at the start, and were soon exhausted. All other subsist- 
ence was obtained from the country through which we passed. The 
march was commenced without wagons, except such as could be picked 
up through the country. The country was abundantly supplied with 
corn, bacon, beef, and mutton. The troops enjoyed excellent health, and 
no army ever appeared in better spirits, or felt more confident of success. 

General Halleck, in his Annual Report of the War, thus 
speaks of the, administration and success of the Depart- 
ment of the Tennessee : 

At the date of my last Annual Report, Major-General Grant occupied 
"West Tennessee and the northern boundary of Mississippi. The object 
of the campaign of this army was the opening of the Mississippi River, 
in conjunction with the army of General Banks. 

General Grant was instructed to drive the enemy in the interior as 
far south as possible, and destroy their railroad communications; then 
to fall back to Memphis and embark his available forces on transports, 
and with the assistance of the fleet of Admiral Porter, reduce Vicks- 
burg. The first part of this plan was most successfully executed, but 
the right wing of the army sent against Vicksburg, under Major-Gene- 
ral Sherman, found that place much stronger than was expected. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 309 

Two attacks were made, on the 28th and 29th of December; but fail- 
ing in their object, our troops were withdrawn, and while waiting for 
re-enforcements from General Grant, moved up the Arkansas River to 
Arkansas Post, which place was, with the assistance of the gunboats, 
captured on the 11th of January. Our loss at Vicksburg was 191 kill- 
ed, 982 wounded, and 75G missing; at Arkansas Post, 129 killed, 831 
wounded, and 17 missing. "We captured at the latter place 5,000 pris- 
oners, 17 pieces of cannon, 3,000 small-arms, 46,000 rounds of ammuni- 
tion, and 5G3 animals. 

General Grant now assumed the immediate command of the army on the 
Mississippi, which was largely re-enforced. Being satisfied by the result of 
General Shermaii's operations that the north line of the enemy's works was 
too strong to be carried without a very heavy loss, he directed his attention to 
opening the canal, which had been commenced the year before by General 
Williams, across the peninsula on the west bank of the river. 

This canal had been improperly located — its upper terminus being in 
an eddy, and the lower terminus being exposed to the enemy's guns ; 
nevertheless, it was thought that it could be completed sooner than a 
new one could be constructed. "While working parties, under Captain 
Prince, chief engineer of that army, were diligently employed upon this 
canal, General Grant directed his attention to several other projects for 
turning the enemy's position. These are fully described in his official 
report. The canal proving impracticable, and his other plans being 
unsuccessful, he determined to move his army by land down the west 
bank of the river, some seventy miles, while transports for crossing 
6hould run past the enemy's batteries at Vicksburg. 

TJie danger of running the batteries being very great, and the roads on the 
west side in horrible condition, this was a difficult and hazardous expedient; 
but it seemed to be the only possible solution of the problem. The ex- 
ecution of the plan, however, was greatly facilitated by Admiral Farra- 
gut, who had run two of his vessels past the enemy's batteries at Port 
Hudson and Grand Gulf, and cleared the river of the enemy's boats be- 
low Vicksburg; and finally, through the the indomitable energy of the com- 
manding-general and the admirable dispositions of Admiral Porter for 
running the enemy's batteries, the operation was completely successful. 

The army crossed the river at Bruinsburg, April 30th, turned Grand 
Gulf, and engaged the enemy near Port Gibson on the 1st, and at Four- 
teen-Mile Creek on the 3d of May. The enemy was defeated in both 



310 GENERAL GEANT 

engagements, with heavy loss. General Grant now moved his forces 
hy rapid marches to the north, in order to separate the garrison of 
Vicksburg from the covering army of Johnston. This movement was 
followed by the battles of "Raymond," May 12th; of "Jackson," May' 
14th ; of " Champion's Hill," May 16th, and of " Big Black River Bridge," 
May 17 th — in all of which our troops were victorious. General Grant 
now proceeded to invest Vicksburg. 

In order to facilitate General Grant's operations by destroying the 
enemy's lines of communication, and prevent the early concentration of 
auy re-enforcements, Colouel (now Brigadier-General) Grierson was 
sent with a cavalry force from La Grange on the 17 th of April to trav- 
erse the interior of the State of Mississippi. This expedition was most 
successfully conducted. It destroyed many of the enemy's railroad 
bridges, depots, and much rolling stock, and reached Baton Rouge, Lou- 
siana, in safety on the 2d of May. On returning to Vicksburg, General 
Grant found his forces insufficient to entirely invest the enemy's works. 
There was, therefore, danger that the two bodies of the enemy under 
Pemberton and Johnston might yet effect a junction, as it was known 
that the latter was being largely re-enforced from Bragg's army in 
Middle and East Tennessee. Under these circumstances General Grant 
determined to attempt to carry the place by assault. 

Two unsuccessful attacks were made May 19th and 22d; but as re-en- 
forcements reached him a few days after, sufficiently large to enable 
him to completely invest the rebel defences, he resorted to the slower 
but more certain operations of a regular siege. By the 3d of July his 
saps were so far advanced as to render his success certain, and on that 
day General Pemberton proposed an armistice and capitulation, which 
were finally accepted, and Vicksburg surrendered on the 4th of July. In 
the language of General Grant's official report, the results of this short 
campaign were: 

" The defeat of the enemy in five battles outside of Vicksburg, the 
occupation of Jackson, the capital of the State of Mississippi, and the 
capture of Vicksburg and its garrison and munitions of war; a loss to 
the enemy of 37,000 prisoners, among whom were fifteen general offi- 
cers; at least 10,000 killed and wounded; and among the killed, Gener- 
als Tracy, Tilghman, and Green, and hundreds, and perhaps thousands 
of stragglers, who can never be collected and organized. Arms and 
munitions of war for an army of sixty thousand have fallen into our 
hands, besides a large amount of other public property, consisting of 
railroad, locomotives, cars, steamboats, cotton, etc. ; and much was de- 
stroyed to prevent our capturing it." 

Wlien we consider the character of the country in which this army ope" 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 



311 



jted, the formidable obstacles to be overcome, the number of forces and the 
strength of the enemy's works, toe cannot fail to admire the courage and en- 
durance of the troops, and the skill and daring of their commander. No 
more brilliant expbit can be found in military history. It has been alleged, 
and the allegation has been widely circulated by the press, that General 
Grant, in the conduct of his campaign, positively disobeyed the in- 
structions of his superiors. It is hardly necessary to remark that General 
Grant never disobeyed an order or instruction, but always carried out to the 
best of his ability every wish or suggestion made to him by the government. 
Moreover he has never complained that the government did not furnish 
him all the means and assistance in its power, to facilitate the execution 
of any plan he saw fit to adopt. 

While the main army of Tennessee was operating against Vicksburg, 
the enemy's force, on the west side of the river, made unsuccessful at- 
tacks on Milliken's Bend and Lake Providence on the 6th and 10th of 
June. Our loss in the former was 101 killed, and 285 wounded, and 
266 missing. The loss in the latter was not reported. It is represent- 
ed that the colored troops in these desperate engagements fought with 
great bravery ; and that the rebels treated this class of prisoners of 
war, as well as their officers, with great barbarity. It has not been 
possible, however, to ascertain the correctness of these representations 
in regard to the treatment of these prisoners. 

After the capture of Vicksburg, General Grant reported, that his 
troops were so much fatigued and worn out with forced marches and 
the labors of the siege as to absolutely require several weeks of repose 
before undertaking another campaign. Nevertheless, as the exigencies of 
the service seemed to require it, he sent out those who were least fatigued on 
several important expeditions, while the others remained at Vicksburg to put 
that place in a letter defensive condition for a small garrison. 

When the news of this glorious victory officially reached 
the President, he wrote an autograph letter to General 
Grant, of which document the following is a copy : 

Executive Mansion, "Washington, July 13, 1863. 
To Major-General Grant : 

My Dear General: — I do not remember that you and I ever met per 
sonally. I write this now as a greatful acknowledgment for the almost 
inestimable service you have done the country. I wish to say a word fur- 
ther. "When you first reached the vicinity of Vicksburg, I thought you 



112 



GENERAL GRANT 



should do what you finally did — march the troops across the neck, run 
the batteries with the transports, and thus go below ; and I never had 
any faith, except a general hope that you knew better than 1, that the 
Yazoo Pass expedition and the like could succeed. When you got 
below and took Port Gibson, Grand Gulf, and vicinity, I thought you 
should go down the river and join General Banks; and when you 
turned northward east of the Big Black, I feared it was a mistake. I 
now wish to make a personal acknowledgment that you were right and J 
was wrong* Yours, very truly, 

A. Lincoln. 

Several gentlemen were near the President at the time 
he received the news of Grant's success, some of whom 
had been com plaining of the rumors of his habit of using 
intoxicating drinks to excess. 

" So I understand Grant drinks whiskey to excess?" in- 
terrogatively remarked the President. 

" Yes," was the reply. 

"What whiskey does he drink?" inquired Mr. Lincoln. 

" "What whiskey ?" doubtfully queried his hearers. 

" Yes. Is it Bourbon or Monongahela ?" 

" Why do you ask, Mr. President ?" 

" Because, if it makes him win victories like this at 
Vicksburg, I will send a demijohn of the same kind to 
every general in the army." 

His visitors saw the point, although at their own cost. 

It is stated that General Grant entered Vicksburg on 
July 4th, 1863, with a cigar in his mouth. In alluding to 

* It is currently stated that when Adjutant-General Thomas visited 
the Department of the Tennessee, early in April, 18G3, he carried in his 
pocket an order from the President to displace and remove General 
Grant from his command, if the facts proved to be as they were reported 
at the national capital. Perhaps President Lincoln's note refers indirectly 
to that order. It is needless to add that General Thomas, on his arrival 
at Milliken's Bend, found matters far different than were represented at 
Washington, and he, therefore, thought it more judicious not to remove 
the ordor from his pocket, nor General Grant from his command. 



AXD HIS CAMPAIGNS. * 313 

this fact, a newspaper of strong Southern proclivities re- 
marked as follows : 

We pardon General Grant's smoking a cigar as he entered the 
smouldering ruins of the town of Yicksburg. A little stage effect is 
admissible in great captains, considering that Napoleon at Milan wore 
the little cocked hat and sword of Marengo, and that snuff was the in- 
evitable concomitant of victory in the great Frederick. General Grant 
is a noble fellow, and by the terms of capitulation he accorded to the heroic 
garrison, showed himself as generous as Napoleon was to Wurmser at the 
surrender of Afantua. His deed will read well in history, and he has secured 
to himself a name which posterity will pronounce with veneration and grati- 
tude. There is no general in this country or in Europe that has done 
harder work than General Grant, and none that has better graced his 
victories by the exercise of humanity and virtue. What we learn of the 
terms of capitulation is sufficient to prove General Grant to be a generous 
soldier and a man. A truly brave man respects bravery in others, and 
when the sword is sheathed considers himself free to follow the dictates 
of humanity. General Grant is not a general that marks his progress 
by proclamations to frighten unarmed men, women, and children ; he 
fulminates no arbitrary edicts against the press ; he does not make war 
on newspapers and their correspondents : he flatters no one to get him- 
self puffed ; but he is terrible in arms and magnanimous after the battle. 
Go on, brave General Grant; pursue the course you have marked out 
for yourself, and Clio, the pensive muse, as she records your deeds, will 
rejoice at her manly theme. 

Among the results of the fall of Vicksburg is one that 
must not be overlooked — Port Hudson. As soon as the 
garrison had surrendered, General Grant notified General 
Banks of the fact, and that officer at once imparted the 
glorious intelligence to his command. Like lightning the 
welcome news flew along the line, and the Union pickets 
joyously informed the rebel sentinels that their boasted 
stronghold had fallen. It did not take long for the tidingb 
to reach the rebel head-quarters, and the same day the 
commandant at Port Hudson sent the following dispatch 
to General Banks : 
14 



314 m GENERAL GRANT 

Head-Quarters, Port Hudson, La., July 7, 1863. 
General: — Having received information from your troops that Vicks- 
burg has been surrendered, I make this communication to ask you to give 
me the official assurance whether this is true or not, and if true I ask for a 
cessation of hostilities, with a view to the consideration of terms for sur- 
rendering this position. 

I am, General, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
Frank Gardner, 
Major- General commanding Confederate States forces. 
To Major-General Banks, commanding U. S. forces near Port Hudson. 

General Banks, early the next morning, replied as fol 
lows : 

Head-Quarters, Department op the Gulf, ) 
Before Port Hudson, July 8, 1863. \ 
General: — In reply to your communication, dated the 7th instant, by 
flag of truce received a few moments since, I have the honor to inform 
you that I received yesterday morning, July 7th, at forty-five minutes 
past ten o'clock, by the gunboat General Price, an official dispatch from 
Major-General Ulysses S. Grant, United States Army, whereof the fol- 
lowing is a true extract : — 

Head-Quarters, Department of the Tennessee, i 
Near Vicksburg, July 4, 18G3. \ 

Major-General N. P. Banks, commanding Department of the Gulf: 

General : — The garrison of Vicksburg surrendered this morning. The 
number of prisoners, as given by the officers, is twenty-seven thousand ; 
field artillery, one hundred and twenty-eight pieces ; and a large num- 
ber of siege-guns, probably not less than eighty. 

Your obedient servant, U. S. Grant, Major- General. 

I regret to say that, under present circumstances, I cannot, consist- 
ently with my duty, consent to a cessation of hostilities for the purpose 
you indicate. 

Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

N. P. Banks, Major-General Commanding. 

To Major-General Frank Gardner, Commanding Confederate States 
forces, Fort Hudson. 

It appears that the unwelcome news was all that was 
wanting to decide the fate of Port Hudson. In fact, after 
Vicksburg had capitulated, Port Hudson was untenable. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 315 

The rebel commandant, therefore, immediately dispatched 
the following communication to General Banks : 

Port Hudson, July 8, 1863. 

General : — I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your com- 
munication of this date, giving a copy of an official communication from 
Major-General U. S. Grant, United States Army, announcing the surren- 
der of the garrison of Yicksburg. 

Having defended this position as long as I deem my duty requires, I am 
willing to surrender to you, and will appoint a commission of three 
officers to meet a similiar commission appointed by yourself, at nine 
o'clock this morning, for the purpose of agreeing upon, and drawing up- 
the terms of surrender, and for that purpose I ask a cessation of hostili- 
ties. Will you please designate a point outside of my breastworks 
where the meeting shah be held for this purpose? 

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

Frank Gardner, commanding Confederate States forces. 

To Major-General Banks, commanding United States forces. 

General Banks replied at once in the following Ian 

guage : 

Head-Quarters, United States Forces, ) 
Before Port Hudson, July 8, 1863. J 

General: — I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your com- 
munication of this date, stating that you are willing to surrender the 
garrison under your command to the forces under my command, and 
that you will appoint a commission of three officers to meet a similar 
commission appointed by me, at nine o'clock this morning, for the pur- 
pose of agreeing upon and drawing up the terms of surrender. 

In reply I have the honor to state, that I have designated Brigadier- 
General Charles P. Stone, Colonel Henry W. Birge, and Lieutenant- 
Colonel Richard B. Irwin, as the officers to meet the commission ap- 
pointed by you. 

They will meet your officers, at the hour designated, at a point where 
che flag of truce was received this morning. I will direct that active 
hostilities shall entirely cease on my part, until further notice, for the 
purpose stated. 

Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

N. P. Banks, Major- General Comijjfading. 

To Major-General Frank Gardner, commanding Confedmae States 
forces, Port Hudson. 



316 GENERAL GRANT 

The following announces the result of the surrender : 

Head-Quarters, Department of tee Gulf, ) 

Nineteenth Army Corps, Fort Hudson, July 10, 1863. J 
To General H. W. IIalleck : 

Sir: — I have the honor to inform you that, with this post, there fell 
into our hands over five thousand five hundred prisoners, including one 
Major-General and one Brigadier-General ; twenty pieces of heavy artil- 
lery, five complete batteries, numbering thirty-one pieces of field artil- 
lery; a good supply of projectiles for light and heavy guns, 44,800 
pounds of cannon-powder, five thousand stand of arms, and one hun- 
dred and fifty thousand rounds of small-arm ammunition, besides a small 
amount of stores of various kinds. "We captured, also, two steamers, 
one of which is very valuable. They will be of great service at this 
time. ^ 

I am, General, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

N. P. Banks, Major-General Commanding* 

* General Banks, by his operations around Port Hudson during May 
and June, 1863, rendered val_able assistance to General Grant in the 
prosecution of the siege of Vicksburg. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 31V 



CHAPTER XLII. 

THE PURSUIT OF JOIINSTON. — SECOND CAPTURE OF THE 
CITY OF JACKSON. 

General Grant having learned, as before stated, that 
General Joseph E. Johnston intended to attack him in the 
rear, if he could find an opportunity, or, at least, so harass 
him as to cause him, if possible, to raise the siege of Vicks- 
burg, sent a force, under General W. T. Sherman, to resist 
his advance. General Johnston did not attack; therefore 
General Grant determined to attack him the moment 
Vicksburg fell, and of this fact General Sherman was 
notified. 

It had been planned that the grand assault on Vicks- 
burg should have taken place on July 6th, and General 
Grant therefore ordered General Sherman in the m^an 
time to have up supplies of all descriptions, so that he 
might be able to move at a moment's notice, should the 
assault prove a success, of which fact the General appeared 
to have no doubt. General Sherman at once made his 
preparations, and (adds Grant in his report) " when the 
place surrendered on the 4th, two days earlier than J had 
fixed for the attack, General Sherman was found ready, 
and moved at once with a force increased by the addition 
of the remainder of both the Thirteenth and Fifteenth 
Army Corps, and is at present (July 6th) investing Juck- 
son, where Johnston has made a stand." 



318 GENERAL GRANT 

The rebel general, on finding the Union troops had been 
sent in pursuit of his forces, fell back within the defences 
of the Mississippi State capital, where* he issued the fol- 
lowing proclamation to his troops : 

Head-Quarters, on the Field, July 9, 1863. 

Fellow-Soldiers : — An insolent foe, flushed with hope by his recent 
success at Vicksburg, confronts you, threatening the people, whose homes 
and liberty you are here to protect, with plunder and conquest. Their 
guns may even now be heard as they advance. 

Tlie enemy it is at once the duty and the mission of you, brave men, to 
chastise and expel from the soil of Mississippi. The commanding general 
confidently relies on you to sustain his pledge, which he makes in advance, 
and he will he with you in the good work, even unto the end. 

The vice of " straggling" he begs you to shun, and to frown on. If 
needs be, it will be checked by even the most summary remedies. 

The telegraph has already announced a glorious victory over the foe, 
won by your noble comrades of the Virginia army on Federal soil ; may 
he not, with redoubled hopes, count on you, while defending your fire- 
sides and household gods, to emulate the proud example of your 
brothers in the East-? 

The country expects in this, the great crisis of its destiny, that every 
man will do his duty. 

Joseph E. Johnston, General Commanding. 

The army under General Sherman had advanced steadi- 
ly, and was now gradually encircling the city. On the 12th 
of July he had invested the city from Pearl River, on the 
north of Jackson, to the same stream south of the place. 
The Pearl River runs directly through the city. By this 
means, General Sherman succeeded in cutting off many 
hundred cars from the Confederacy. While investing the 
city, General Sherman on the 11th of July sent a company 
of cavalry on a foraging expedition, and during the trip 
the command ascertained that the extensive library, for- 
erly belonging to the rebel President, was secreted in a 
house near by. The cavalry at once proceeded to the 
house, and there found thousands of volumes of books, 



AND HIS CAMPAIGN'S. 319 

and several bushels of private and political papers, belong- 
ing to Davis, written by persons North and South, who 
had been engaged in the plot of inciting the rebellion. 
Some of these papers were carried into camp, and served 
as novel literature for the officers and men. 

In addition to these, several valuable gold-headed walk- 
ing-canes were found, one of them presented to Davis by 
Franklin Pierce. On another one was the inscription, 
"From a Soldier to a Soldier's Friend." 

In many of the letters the subject of secession was 
warmly discussed. Some of these letters date back as far 
as 1852. Many of the more prominent writers accepted 
the separation of the North and South as a foregone con- 
clusion, but only disagreed how and when it should be 
done. Davis is alluded to as the political Moses in this 
measure, and the allusions to him would seem as if he 
were looked upon in the light of a demigod. 

On the morning of July 12th, General Sherman sent a 
battalion of cavaby on an expedition about fifteen miles 
east of Jackson, for the purpose of destroying the railroad 
bridges, culverts, rolling stock, or any thing else of value to 
the rebel government or its military authorities. 

During the greater part of the preceding night the in- 
vesting forces made arrangements for a cannonade of the 
enemy's works. A premature movement of a portion of the 
line nearly caused a failure of the expedition, but a prompt 
action on the part of the commanding general remedied 
the evil. 

On the 13th of July the rebels made a sortie from their 
works and advanced a brigade of infantry and several bat- 
teries of artillery against the right of the line, with the in- 
tention of breaking it. The advance was very sudden and 
was made under the cover of a heavy fog ; but the sortie 
was met with a determined resistance. In a short time 



H 20 GENERAL GRANT 

after the enemy had opened the attack, the whole of the 
right wing was in line of battle, ready for an emergency. 

On the night of June lGth, General Joseph E. Johnston 
with a portion of his army evacuated Jackson and retreat- 
e 1 in great haste towards the east. Had he not made 
good his retreat on that night, the whole garrison would 
have been the next day in great danger of capture by a 
complete investment of the city. 

The following accounts from army correspondents give 
interesting details of the advance to, and second occupation 
of the city of Jackson : 

While the surrender of Vicksburg was in progress, General Grant 
arranged Ins plans for the capture of this town, and intrusted the affair 
to General Sherman. Accordingly, on the morning of the 5th of July, 
tho Ninth Army Corps, which was then encamped on the Yazoo River, 
in the vicinity of Haines Bluff, took up the line of march, forming the 
left wing of tho advancing column. The other corps had marched on 
tlio right of the Ninth. After a few days of skirmishing, which resulted 
in the falling back of the rebels to their line of defensive works around 
the town, the siege regularly commenced, but was of even much briefer 
duration than the most sanguine expected. Our forces surrounded the 
city on the north, west, and south sides. As early as the morning of the 
10th, suspicion was aroused that the rebels were or intended evacuating, 
and in order to ascertain the truth a charge of the whole line was or- 
dered at eleven A. M. The signal was two cannon-shots. The troops of 
the whole force selected to make a feint of an assault were drawn up in 
line, and as the guns boomed the second shot, away they dashed at the 
rebel works. They were received, hoiuever, with a steady and heavy fire, 
which gave no doubt of the presence of an enemy in force, and the test having 
been successful, ihey were withdrawn, after sufferiug but slight loss. 
In the evening a reconnoissance was made to within a short distance of 
the rebel fortifications; and the tramp of a column of troops in motion, 
intermingled with the commands of the officers, and a confused bustle 
of noises, was distinctly heard, indicating that the evacuation had 
commenced. 

Daylight on the morning of the 17th left little doubt that such was 
in fact the case. One brigade was ordered forward as skirmishers, with 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 



321 



another in support. Approaching the rebel works, they found thorn 
tenantless, and the brigade, reforming in column, dashed into the town 
on the double quick. No enemy presented himself, but on the outskirts 
stragglers to the number of 157 were captured. The troops soon pushed to 
the centre of the town, and raised the Stars and Stripes on the State- 
House. 

The town at this time was almost enveloped in smoke from the burn- 
ing buildings. The troops all around the line soon observed so evident 
an indication of a retreat, and in a short time detachments of the Thir- 
teenth and Fifteenth Corps sallied in from the south and west sides. A 
check, however, was suddenly given to this movement, when it was dis- 
covered that the rebels in leaving had planted torpedoes in the roads, 
which exploded when trodden upon. Fortunately, the injury inflicted 
by these cowardly instruments was not very extensive. The first killed 
was a citizen who was flying from the burning town. Another exploded 
under a group of soldiers, killing or wounding about six of them, and a 
third blew up a wagon while passing over it. 

The evacuation by the rebels, as far as can be ascertained from the 
reports of citizens and prisoners, commenced soon after sundown and 
continued until two o'clock of the morning of the 1 7 th, when only a rear 
guard was left to apply the. torch to the buildings selected for de- 
struction. 

Of course the retreat was over the Pearl River, in the direction of Me- 
ridian, on the line of the Jackson Railroad. The burned district embraces 
the business portion of the town, though a number of private residences 
were also fired. The burned buildings lie principally on State, or Main 
and Capitol streets. In addition to these and their contents, the rebels 
destroyed a large quantity of cotton, the bales of which they rolled iuto 
the streets and ignited. 

The tracks of the railroad are reported torn up for many miles beyond 
the river. In the town they are comparatively uninjured. A number 
of cars, which are in pretty good condition, also escaped destruction. 

In addition to the one hundred and fifty-seven prisoners captured by 
General Ferrero's Brigade, many others were subsequently taken, swell- 
ing <the number to nearly four hundred. 

The defences of the town, on a close inspection, do not prove so formi- 
dable as they were conjectured to be. The roads leading out into the 
country are each fortified with large and strong works, constructed in 
many cases with cotton-bales, supplied with heavy guns, and connected 
with each other by a line of breastworks, rifle-pits, and intrenchments 
14* 



322 



GENERAL GRANT 



The heavy artillery had not been removed, and with a large quantity 
of shot, shell, and powder, has fallen into our hands a prize.* 

The annexed account is given by a participant with the 
right wing of the army : 

The evacuation of Jackson was commenced by the rebels at dusk on 
the evening of the 16th of July, 1863. In the afternoon of that day the 
Ninth Army Corps (left wing), Major-General Parke, received orders from 
General Sherman to condense their lines by approaching four hundred 
yards nearer the rebel works from the line they then occupied. The 
movement was commenced, and our skirmishers, who were a short dis- 
tance from the attacking column, were soon engaging the rebel pickets. 
The rebels on that flank at once comprehended our movement, and sent 
out a strong body of troops to repel our advance. In a few minutes 
the musketry fire increased, and in twenty minutes there was a terrific 
roar of musketry and artillery. The movement of General Parke receiv- 
ed some support from the Fifteenth Corps (centre), Major-General Steele, 
which kept up a diagonal fire on the enemy. The engaging parties were 
soon enveloped in smoke, and for a time it was a problem which side 
was gaining ground. After three-fourths of an hour the matter was 
clearly decided, our troops having attained the objective point, and the 
rebels were driven back defeated, leaving hundreds of their dead and 
wounded on the field. After this there was a total cessation of firing on 
both sides. At dusk one of the rebel regimental bands took a position 
in one of the salients of their works and regaled our troops by playing 
the "Bonnie Blue Flag," "My Maryland," "Dixie's Land," and all the 
other plagiarized airs which they have adopted as national tunes. Dur- 
ing the night of the 16th inst., tranquillity reigned throughout the camps. 
Early on the morning of the 17th inst., our advance pickets of the Thir- 
teenth Corps discovered that the rebel pickets had been withdrawn 
during the night; and, on looking towards the rebel works, every thing 
indicated that "fighting Joe Johnston" and his army had left for more 
congenial parts. The news was communicated to Major-General Ord, 
commanding the right wing, and in turn was sent to General She¥man, 
commanding the expedition. Measures were subsequently adopted to 
take immediate possession of the city 

General Blair established his head-quarters at the Governor's house, 



A^D HIS CAMPAIGNS. 323 

from which place he promulgated orders, and afforded the few remaining 
inhabitants of the city all the protection within his power. In this he 
was successful after his orders got into operation, and by one o'clock in 
the day order reigned supreme. 

It would beggar description to attempt to portray the appearance of 
Jackson after the rebels retreated. Destruction was visible on all hands. 
Our own army, on its first visit to Jackson, destroyed much valuable 
property ; and, to complete the catalogue, the rebels burned up fifty or 
sixty buildings on the street fronting the capitol, on the ground of mili- 
tary nocessity, to accomplish the destruction of large quantities of army 
stores which they were not able to transport in their retreat. The day 
was sultry, scarcely a current of fresh air being felt, and the smoke from 
the ruins of the fires coursed along through the principal streets, making 
a trip through the city decidedly uncomfortable. 

For nearly two months the rebels had worked night and day to fortify 
Jackson. Fortifications and rifle-pits arose as if by magic, and these 
works extended over a front of two miles. Every advantage was taken 
of the topography of the ground, and every convergent road to the city 
was covered by artillery. In front of these works and for one-fourth 
of a mile from their front a strong and impassable abatis was formed 
by felling trees, placed in such a manner as to render the approach to 
the works by an opposing army a matter of impossibility. An attempt 
to charge these works by our troops would have been certain defeat, if 
not annihilation, to our gallant army. Again, these obstructions afford- 
ed a cover to the real nature of the rebel works, and so complete was 
this concealment as to make them appear as ordinary field works. The 
priucipal line of fortifications was made of bales of cotton covered with 
earth ; and to give the reader some idea of the extent of them and their 
invulnerability, the fact need only be stated that two thousand bales of 
cotton were used in their construction. 

Johston's army, according to the testimony of rebel prisoners, was 
numerical}- as strong as ours. It was composed of a portiou of Pem- 
berton's old army, and re-enforcements from Bragg's army, and detach- 
ments from Mobile, and Charleston, S. C. In it were the divisions of 
Generals Breckinridge, Loring, Walker, and Gist, besides thousands of 
nome-guards from the interior of Mississippi and Alabama. General 
Gist brought ten regiments with him from South Carolina, many of 
them of the "best blood," as a prisoner stated, of the Palmetto State, 
whose motto was, 'No surrender." What a sorry failure they made 
ofitl 



324 GENEBAL GRANT 

After our army had taken possession of Jackson, strong detachments 
of troops, infantry, cavalry, and artillery, were sent out on all the rail- 
roads diverging from the city, with orders to tear up the track, destroy 
the bridges, culverts, depots, and water-tanks within a radius of fifteen 
miles. As I close this letter, the artillery of some of our advanced 
troops is heard in the distance. The rebels had nearly completed the 
railroad bridge, destroyed by our troops in May last, across the Pearl 
River, near Jackson. This also is to be destroyed. 

Nearly every eligible or flat piece of land in and around Jackson has 
been taken as rebel burial-grounds. From the thousands of graves your 
correspondent saw in his inspection of the city, the inference is, that 
the mortality in the rebel army from May until our troops repos- 
sessed the city must have been very large. Some of the graves are 
graced with marble slabs ; but the majority had plain head-boards, giv- 
ing the age and date of the death of the deceased. 

Rebel prisoners by hundreds, from Johnston's fugitive army, are 
coming in and giving themselves up as prisoners of war. They state 
their belief that the Confederacy is a failure, and the rebel leaders a 
clique of ambitious, intriguing knaves. They declare that the war wa3 
inaugurated by a few selfish politicians, and the people were dragged 
into it. They state that the Union sentiment is in the minds of many 
of the people of the South ; but they dare not express it, and are biding 
their time, hoping and praying they may soon be liberated from the 
heavy yoke of Jefferson Davis and his followers. 

Our trophies by the evacuation are not numerous. The most impor- 
tant item is that of the cotton used in the rebel fortifications, and some 
miscellaneous lots in and near the city ; of this, I learn there are about 
three thousand bales, most of it in good order and ready for shipment 
northward. The rebels took all their cannon, of which they had fifty 
pieces, with the exception of one ten-inch ship's columbiad, which was 
too weighty an incumbrance to a flying army. In addition to the 
cotton, we obtained large quantities of artillery and musket ammunition. 
The latter was of first quality, of English and Austrian manufacture. 
Among the different qualities of the small ammunition was the expan- 
sive, explosive Minie, and the ordinary buck and ball cartridges. The 
artillery ammunition was nearly all manufactured at the Augusta (Ga.) 
arsenal. We captured some twenty or thirty railroad cars and other 
railroad equipments of no present use to the army, as the railroad, rail- 
road bridges, culverts, water-tanks, and depots, have all been destroyed 
over an area of fifteen miles from Jackson. The damage thus done, will 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 325 

amount to at least two millions of dollars, and should we evacuate the 
place the rebels could not rebuild the roads destroyed at any price, as 
the material is not in the Confederacy. 

From May 1st up to the capture of Jackson, General Grant's army has 
been unremittingly at work. They have fought, within that time, seven hotly- 
contested battles, at the cost of many a gallant life, but with twofold victory to 
our arms. The trophies of these battles, in arms and prisoners, are 
counted by thousands; but the crowning event of the campaign is the 
opening of the Mississippi River. The rebel army of the West has been 
scattered to the winds, and those not killed or captured are fleeing with 
sheer fright from before our army of veterans. For the present, cam- 
paigning in Mississippi is ended. 



I 



326 GENERAL GRANT 



CHAPTER XLIIL 

GENERAL GRANT AT VICKSBTIRG, BUT NOT IDLE. 

General Grant had remained behind at Vicksburg 
when General Sherman advanced, but he was not idle- 
He held constant communication with his various com- 
mands, and organized certain expeditions, the more effectu- 
ally to clear the entire department of all vestige of rebel 
rule. The following dispatch explains how General Grant 
was employed : 

Vicksburg, Miss., July 12, 1863. 
Major-General Halleck, General-in- Chief: 

General Sherman has Jackson invested from Pearl River on the north 
to the river on the south. This has cut off many hundred cars from the 
Confederacy. Sherman says he has forces enough, and feels no appre- 
hension about the result. 

Finding that Yazoo City was being fortified, I sent General Herron there 
with his Division. He captured several hundred prisoners and one 
steamboat. Five pieces of heavy artillery and all the public stores fell 
into our hands. The enemy burned three steamboats on the approach 
of the gunboats. 

The De Kalb was blown up and sunk in fifteen feet of water by the 
explosion of a torpedo. 

Finding that the enemy were crossing cattle for the rebel army at 
Natchez, and were said to have several thousand there, I have sent steam- 
boats and troops to collect them and destroy all boats and means for making 
more. U. S. Grant, Major- General. 

Of the Yazoo City expedition, Admiral Porter reports 
as follows : 






AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 



327 



United States Mississippi Squadron, ) 

Flag-Shd? Black Hawk, off Vicksburg, July 14, 1863. J 

Hon. Gideon Welles : 

g IR: — Hearing that GeneralJohnston was fortifying Yazoo City with 
heavy guns, and gathering troops there for the purpose of obtaining 
supplies for his army from the Yazoo country ; also that the remainder 
of the enemy's best transports were then showing a possibility of his 
attempt to escape, Major- General Grant and myself determined to send a 
naval and military expedition up there to capture them. 

The Baron De Kalb, New National, Kenwood, and Signal, were dis- 
patched, under command of Lieutenant John G. "Walker, with a force of 
troops numbering five thousand, under command of Major-General Frank 
J. Herron. Pushing up to the city, the Baron De Kalb engaged the bat- 
teries, which were all prepared to receive her, and after finding out their 
strength dropped back to notify General Herron, who immediately land- 
ed his men, and the army and navy made a combined attack on the 
enemy's works. The rebels soon fled, leaving every thing in our pos- 
session, and set fire to four of their finest steamers that ran on the 
Mississippi River in times past. 

The army pursued the enemy and captured their rear guard of tw& 
hundred and sixty men, and at last accounts were taking more prisoners, 
Six heavy guns and one vessel, formerly a gunboat, fell into our hands, 
and all the munitions of war. 

Unfortunately, while the Baron De Kalb was moving slowly along she 
ran foul of a torpedo, which exploded and sunk her. There was no 
sign of any thing of the kind to be seen. While she was going down 
another exploded under her stern. 

The water is rising fast in the Yazoo, and we can do nothing more 
than get the guns out of her and then get her into deep water, where 
she will be undisturbed until we are able to raise her. The officers and 
men lost every thing. 

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

David D. Porter, 
Acting Bear-Admiral Commanding Mississippi Squadron. 



The Red River and Natchez expedition may be con 
sidered as part and parcel of one and the same operation, 
the success of which is reported by Admiral Porter and 
General Grant as follows : 



328 GENERAL GEAKT 

Flag-Ship Black Hawk, ) 
Off Vicksburg, July 18, 18G3. j 
Hon. Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Navy : 

Sir : — I have the honor to inform you that the expedition I sent into 
the Red River region proved very successful. Ascending the Black 
and Tensas Rivers, running parallel with the Mississippi, Lieutenant- 
Commander Selfridge made the head of navigation — Tensas Lake and 
Bayou Macon — thirty miles above Vicksburg, and within five or six 
miles of the Mississippi River. The enemy were taken completely by 
surprise, not expecting such a force in such a quarter. The rebels who 
have ascended to that region will be obliged to move further back from 
the river, if not go away altogether. 

Lieutenant-Commander Selfridge divided his forces on finding that 
the transports which had been carrying stores to "Walker's army had 
escaped up some of the narrow streams. He sent the Manitou and 
Rattler up the Little Red River — a small tributary of the Black — and 
the Forest Rose and Petrel up the Tensas. The night was dark and it 
was raining very hard. The Manitou and Rattler succeeded in captur- 
ing the rebel steamer Louisville, one of the largest and perhaps the best 
steamer in the "Western waters. Up the Tensas, or one of its tribu- 
taries, the Forest Rose and Petrel captured the steamer Elmira, loaded 
with stores, sugar, and rum, for the rebel army. Finding that the 
steamers which had conveyed General Walker's army had returned up 
the Wachita, the expedition started up that river, and came suddenly 
upon two rebel steamers; but the rebels set them on fire, and they 
were consumed so rapidly that their names could not be ascertained. 
One steamer, loaded with ammunition, escaped above the fort at Harri- 
sonburg, which is a very strong work, and unassailable with wooden 
gunboats. It is on an elevation over one hundred feet high, which ele- 
vation covers what water batteries of heavy guns there are. 

Lieutenant-Commander Selfridge was fortunate enough, however, to 
hear of a large quantity of ammunition that had lately been hauled from 
Natchez, and deposited at or near Trinity, nearly due west of Natchez, 
and from whence stores, provisions, cattle, guns and ammimition are 
transported. He captured fifteen thousand rounds of smooth-bore am- 
munition, ten thousand rounds of Enfield rifle, and two hundred and 
twenty-four rounds of fixed ammunition for guns, a rifle thirty-pounder 
Parrott gun-carriage, fifty-two hogsheads of sugar, ten puncheons of 
rum, nine barrels of flour, and fifty barrels of salt — all belonging to the 
Confederate government. At the same time they heard of a large 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 329 

amount of ammunition that had started from Natchez for Trinity, and 
■was lying in wagons on the roads half way across. He dispatched a 
boat around to inform me of it ; but General Ransom, who had landed 
a few days before at Natchez, hearing of it also, sent a detachment of 
cavalry and captured the whole. Thus Walker's army is left almost 
without ammunition. 

The officers and men have shown great energy on this expedition, 
and have met with no mishap. They procured a good deal of informa- 
tion by which future movements will be regulated. The people in the 
whole of that section are very hostile to the government — rank rebels 

I have the honor to be, etc., 

David D. Porter, Rear-Admiral, 

Vicksburg, Miss., July 18, 1863. 
Major-General H. "W. Halleck, General-in-Chief: 

Joe Johnston evacuated Jackson on the night of the 16th instant. 
He is now in full retreat east. Sherman says most of Johnston's aimy 
must perish from heat, lack of water, and general discouragement. 

The army paroled here have to a great extent deserted, and are scat- 
tered over the country in every direction. 

Learning that Yazoo City was being fortified, I sent General Hervon 
there. Five guns were captured, many stores, and about three hun- 
dred prisoners. 

General Ransom was sent to Natchez to stop the crossing of cattle 
for the Eastern army. On arrival he found that large numbers had 
been driven out of the city to be pastured : also that munitions of war 
had recently been crossed over to wait for Kirby Smith. He mounted 
about two hundred of his men and sent them in both directions. 

They captured a number of prisoners and five thousand head of 
Texas cattle, two thousand head of which were sent to General Banks. 
The balance have been or will be brought here. 

In Louisiana they captured more prisoners, and a number of teams 
loaded with ammunition. Over two million rounds of ammunition were 
brought back to Natchez with the teams captured, and two hundred 
and sixty-eight thousand rounds, besides artillery ammunition, were de- 
stroyed. U. S. Grant, Major- General Commanding. 

These operations may be said to have closed the Missis- 
sippi Valley campaign, which was one of the most victori- 
ous, throughout, that had occurred from, the commence- 



330 GENEKAL GRANT 

ment of the war. In this connection it is due to the 
gentleman concerned, to transcribe a portion of General 
Grant's official report. " I cannot close this report," the 
General writes, " without an expression of thankfulness for 
ray good fortune in being placed in co-operation with an 
officer of the navy, who accords to every move that seems 
for the interest and success of our arms, his hearty and 
energetic support. Admiral Porter and the very efficient 
officers under him have ever shown the greatest readiness 
in their co-operation, no matter what was to be done or 
what risk to be taken either by their men or their vessels. 
Without this prompt and cordial support my movements 
would have been much embarrassed, if not wholly de- 
feated." 

Among the incidents of General Grant's occupation of 
Vicksburg is the following: A major in the rebel army 
had formerly served in the same regiment of the United 
States army with Grant, but was then his prisoner. Grant 
treated him kindly, invited him to his private apartment, 
and after he left, gave a sketch of the rebel's former life 
to the members of his staff. He said, that when the rebel 
major was in his room and he was talking to him about 
being in the Confederate service, the latter replied, " Grant, 
I tell you, I ain't much of a rebel, after all, and when I am 
uaroled, I will let the d — d service go to the mischief" 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 331 



CHAPTER XLIV. 

HIS SUCCESS MADE SURE. — HIS DEPARTMENT SECURED. — 
CARE FOR THE SOLDIERS. 

General Grant, having gained his victories, was not the 
man to allow the fruits thereof to become valueless, by neg- 
lecting the duty of firmly securing them. He had opened 
the Mississippi, from its source to the Gulf; it therefore be- 
came necessary that he should prevent it from ever agam 
being closed by the enemy. For this purpose he as cheif 
officer located his head-quarters at Vicksburg, in order 
that he might be able to have control of an easy access to 
all parts of his department, which at this time extended 
to the extreme limits of the State of Mississippi. 

In a very short space of time the department was re- 
stored to peace, if not to order, and General Grant allowed 
himself a little of that rest so much needed after the ardu- 
ous work which he had accomplished* 

In honor of the victories gained by General Grant with 
the Army of the Tennessee, a magnificent sword was pre- 

* In this connection it might be stated that General Grant's wife, 
who had been an anxious watcher of his military movements and suc- 
cess, now, that victory and peace were secured in his department, left 
her home for a time to visit her husband, at the noted place which had 
caused him so much labor and anxiety to gain the possession of, and the 
reduction of which had made his name forever famous in history. 
While at St. Louis, she was, in honor of her husband, serenaded by a 
fine band, attended by an immense throng of civilians. After the 
music had ceased, three rousing cheers were given by the crowd for 
General Grant, and throe more for Mrs. Grant, when that lady appeared 
at the window, with Brigadier-General Strong standing by her side 



332 GENERAL GRANT 

sented to him by the officers under his command. The 
scabbard was of solid silver, appropriately and most beau- 
tifully finished. The handle of the sword represented a 
carved figure of a young giant, crushing the rebellion, and 
was most elaborately designed. The box in which it was 
placed was made of rosewood, bound with ivory, and lined 
with velvet and white satin. On the interior of the lid 
the name of General Grant was marked with crimson silk. 
The whole, in design, execution, and intrinsic value, dis- 
played great taste on the part of those selected to carry 
out the presentation. 

President Lincoln also honored the victor by appointing 
him to the vacant major-generalship in the regular army of 
the United States, with a commission dating from the oc- 
cupation of Vicksburg, July 4th, 1863. 

General Grant had been very strict with regard to ab- 
sent soldiers and officers, during the time their presence 
was needed in the camp and field ; but now that victory 
had been secured, he allowed them more latitude, as is 
evidenced from the following order : 

and ou repeated calls for a speech, the General, in behalf of Mrs. Grant, 
responded : 

Gentlemen: — I am requested by Mrs. Grant to express her acknowl- 
edgment for the honor you have done her on this occasion. I know 
well that, in tendering her thanks, I express your sentiments, when I 
say the compliment through her to her noble husband is one merited 
by a brave and great man, who has made his name forever honored and im- 
mortal, in the history of America's illustrious patriots, living or dead. Mrs. 
Grant does not desire, in the testimony you have offered, that you 
should forget the brave and gallant officers and soldiers, who have so largely 
assisted in bringing about the glorious result, which has recently caused 
the big heart of our nation to leap with joy. She asks you also to stop 
and dro]) a pensive tear over the graves of the noble dead, ivho have fallen in 
the struggle, that you and I, and all of us, might enjoy the fruits of their 
patriotic devotion to a country second to none on the earth. We trust 
that the Mississippi forever will be under the control of our glorious 
country. Mrs. Grant is now on the way to join her husband, who, since 
the commencement if the war, has not asked for one daifs alsence. He has 
not found time to be sick. With these remarks she bids you good- night, 
and begs that you accept her thousand thanks. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 333 

Head-Quarters, Department of the Tennessee, ) 
Vicksburg, Mississippi, July 20, 18G3. ) 

[General Orders, No. 45.] 

In pursuance of section 32, of an act entitled "An act for enrolling 
and calling out the national forces, and for other purposes," approved 
March 3, 18G3, furloughs may be granted for a period not exceeding 
thirty days at one time, to five per centum of the non-commissioned offi- 
cers and privates of each regiment, battery, independent company, and 
detachment, present with their respective commands in this department, 
for good conduct in their line of duty, by their immediate commanding 
officers, approved by intermediate and army corps commanders. Fur- 
loughs thus granted are intended for the benefit of well men, and the 
sick who have become so from fatigue or exposure in the line of duty. 

Under no circumstances will furloughs be given to men who have shirked 
duty, or straggled on the. march, or from camps. Such men must be made 
to perform extra fatigue duty by their immediate commanding officers, 
and in cases where this is not regarded as sufficient punishment, they 
will be fined in an amount not beyond that which a regimental court- 
martial is authorized to impose. The amount of such fine will be enter- 
ed on the proper muster and pay rolls, opposite their respective names, 
and the cause for which it is imposed stated. 

By order of Major-General U. S. Grant. 

T. S. Bowers, A. A.-G. 

The open rebel sympathizers, although despising the 
United States Government, and constantly giving practical 
aid to its enemies, were ever ready to send their negroes 
to be fed by the military authorities. General Grant was 
determined to put a stop to this proceeding, and issued 
the following order : 

Head-Quarters, Department of the Tennessee, ) 
Vicksburg, Mississippi, July 21, 1863. ) 
[General Orders, No. 46.] 

1. Hereafter no issues of provisions will be made for contrabands, 
except those serving in regiments or in contraband camps. 

2. Issues of provisions will not be made to citizens, except on certifi- 
cates that they are destitute, and have no means of purchasing the ne- 
cessary supplies for their families. These certificates must state the 



334 



GENERAL GRANT 



number of the family, and the time for which they draw, which shall 
not exceed ten days at any one time. 

3. In making issues to citizens, only articles of prime necessity will 
be given, i. e., bread and meat, and these at the rate of one pound of 
flour, one half pound of salt meat, or one pound of fresh beef, to the 
ation. 

By order of Major-General U. S. Grant. 

Jxo. A. Rawlins, A. A.-G. 

The matter of trade with, the rebels had always been a 
Bource of trouble to General Grant, as he found that per- 
sons so engaged were far more ready to secure to them- 
selves the profits of illicit speculation than to care for the 
success of the Union armies. The following letter to the 
Hon. Secretary of the Treasury clearly sets forth his feel- 
ings upon this matter, and explains his objections to the 
plan of " Trade following the Flag" : 

Head-Quarters, Departitjient of the Tennessee, ) 
Vicksburo, Miss., July 21. 1863. ) 

Sir : — Tour letter of the 4th instant to me, enclosing a copy of a 
letter of same date to Mr. Mellen, special agent of the Treasury, is just 
received. My Assistant Adjutant-General, by whom I shall send this 
letter, is about starting for Washington; hence I shall be very short in 
my reply. 

My experience in West Tennessee has convinced me that any trade what- 
ever with the rebellious States is weakening to us of at least thirty-three per 
cent, of our force. No matter what the restrictions thrown around trade, 
if any whatever is allowed it will be made the means of supplying the 
enemy what they want. Restrictions, if lived up to, make trade unprofitable, 
and hence none but dishonest men go into it. I will venture to say that no honest 
man has made money in West Tennessee in the last year, while many fortunes 
h • ■■■■■ & - n made there during the time. 

The people in the Mississippi Valley are now nearly subjugated. 
Keep trade out for a few months, and I doubt not but that the work 
of subjugation will be so complete, that trade can be opened freely with 
the States of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi; that the people -of 
these States will be more anxious for the enforcement and protection ol 
our laws than the people of the loyal States. They have experienced 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 335 

the misfortune of being without them, and are now in a most happy 
condition to appreciate their blessings. 

No theory of my own will ever stand in the way of my executing, in good 
faith, any order I may receive from those in authority over me ; but my 
position has given me an opportunity of seeing what would not be known 
by persons away from the scene of war, and I venture, therefore, to sug- 
gest great caution in opening trade with rebels. 
I am, Sir, very respectfully, 

Your obedient servant, 

U. S. Grant, Major- General. 
Hon. S. P. Chase, Secretary of the Treasury. 

It will, however, be seen by the last paragraph, that 
General Grant, like a true soldier, never allowed his pri- 
vate feelings to stand in the way of his duty, and was al- 
ways ready to render a cheerful obedience to the orders of 
those in authority, no matter how it might interfere with 
his own plans or views. 

By the end of July, 1863, General Grant had perfected a 
complete system of mounted patrols between Vicksburg 
and New Orleans, who, with the gunboats, afforded ample 
protection to vessels. Every thing soon became quiet, and 
there existed no signs of rebels on either shore. General 
Grant ordered all sick soldiers in hospital, able to bear the 
journey, to be sent home on thirty days' furlough, and all 
those permanently disabled to be immediately discharged 
or recommended for membership in the invalid corps. 

The following is an evidence of General Grant's care for 
the soldiers under his command, and his determination that 
they should not be imposed upon by the cormorants that 
generally hang upon the trail of an army : 

When General Grant issued his order, No. 45, granting 
furloughs to the soldiers, he also issued a special order for- 
bidding steamboat men to charge more than five dollars to 
enlisted men, and seven dollars to officers, as fare between 
Vicksburg and Cairo. Immediately after Vicksburg had 



336 GENERAL GRANT 

fallen a large number of steamboats cleared from "Northern 
ports for that place, and were in the habit of charging 
soldiers going home on furlough from fifteen to thirty dol- 
lars' fare to Cairo. One steamer was compelled by General 
Grant to disgorge its ill-gotten gains, under the following 
circumstances : — This boat had about one thousand enlisted 
soldiers and nearly two hundred and fifty officers on board, 
en route for home on short leave of absence, after the fa- 
tigues of their protracted but glorious campaign. The 
captain had charged these men and officers from ten to 
twenty-five dollars each as fare to Cairo. Just as the boat 
was about to push off from the wharf at Vicksburg, an 
order came from General Grant, requiring the captain to 
pay back to his passengers all money received by him as 
fare in excess of five dollars to enlisted men, and seven 
dollars to officers, or submit to imprisonment for diso- 
bedience, and have his boat confiscated. The order cer- 
tainly caused an amount of disagreeable astonishment to 
the captain ; but the presence of a guard rendered it use- 
less to refuse; and so, amid the shouts of the soldiers over 
their General's care of their interests, he complied with 
as good grace as possible, and paid back the money. A 
gentleman who was a passenger on this occasion had been 
present when General Grant issued the order above re- 
ferred to. The General, upon being informed of the im- 
positions practised upon furloughed men and officers by 
steamboat men, was very indignant. 

" I will teach them, if they need the lesson," said the 
gallant General, " that the men who have periled their 
lives to open the Mississippi River for their benefit cannot 
be imposed upon with impunity." 

Can it be wondered at, with such evidences of their 
General's care, the soldiers of the Army of the Tennessee 
should fairly worship him? 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 337 

General Grant was determined to eradicate from Lis de- 
partment, all bands of marauders, guerillas, and irregular 
troopers, who, under the disguise of citizens, committed 
depredations within the Union lines. Neither would he 
allow plundering by his own soldiers. He therefore issued 
the following important order to that effect: 

Head-Quarters, Department of the Tennessee, ) 
Vicksburg, Miss., August 1, 18G3. J 

[General Orders, No. 50.] 

I. All regularly organized bodies of the enemy having been driven from 
those parts of Kentucky and Tennessee ivestof the Tennessee River, and from 
all of Mississippi west of the Mississippi Central Railroad, and it being to 
the interest of those districts not to invito the presence of armed bodies 
of men among them, it is announced that the most rigorous penalties will 
hereafter be inflicted upon the following classes of prisoners, to wit: All 
irregular bodies of cavalry not mustered and paid by the Confederate 
authorities ; all persons engaged in conscripting, enforcing the conscrip- 
tion, or apprehending deserters, whether regular or irregular ; all citi- 
zens encouraging or aiding the same ; and all persons detected in firltg 
upon unarmed transports. 

It is not contemplated that this order shall affect the treatment duo 
to prisoners of war captured within the districts named, when they are 
members of legally organized companies, and when their acts are in accord- 
ance ivith the usages of civilized warfare. 

II. The citizens of Mississippi, within the limits above described, are 
called upon to pursue their peaceful avocations, in obedience to the laws 
of the United States. "While doing so in good faith, all United States 
forces are prohibited from molesting them in any way. It is earnestly re- 
commended that the freedom of negroes be acknowledged, and that, instead 
of compulsory labor, contracts on fair terms be entered into between 
the former masters and servants, or between the latter and other per- 
sons who may be willing to give them employment. Such a system as 
this, honestly followed, will result in substantial advantages to all par- 
ties. 

AR private property will be respected except when the -use of it is neces- 
sary for the Government, in which case it must be taken under the 
direction of a corps commander, and by a proper detail under charge of 
a commissioned officer, with specific instructions to seize certain proper 
15 



338 



GENERAL GRANT 



ty and no other. A staff-officer of the quartermaster or subsistence 
department, will, in each instance, be designated to receipt for such prop- 
erty as may be seized, the property to be paid for at the end of the war 
on proof of loyalty, or on proper adjustment of the claim, i nder such 
regulations or laws as may hereafter be established. All property seized 
under this order must be taken up on returns by the officers giving 
receipts, and disposed of in accordance with existing regulations. 

III. Persons having cotton, or other produce not required by the army, 
will be allowed to bring the same to any military post within the State of 
Mississippi, and abandon it to the agent of the Treasury Department at 
said post, to be disposed of in accordance with such regulations as the 
Secretary of the Treasury may establish. At posts where there is no 
such agent, the post quartermaster will receive all such property, and, 
at the option of the owner, hold it till the arrival of the agent, or send 
it to Memphis, directed to Captain A. R. Eddy, Acting Quartermaster, 
who will turn it over to the properly authorized agent at that place. 

IV. Within the county of Warren, laid waste by the long presence 
of contending armies, the following rules, to prevent suffering, will be 
observed : 

Major-General Sherman, commanding the Fifteenth Army Corps, and 
Major-General McPherson, commanding the Seventeenth Army Corps, 
will each designate a commissary of subsistence, wlw will issue articles of 
prime necessity to all destitute families calling for them, under such restric- 
tions for the protection of the Government as they may deem necessary. 
Families wlw are able to pay for the provisions drawn will in all cases be 
required to do so. 

V. Conduct disgraceful to the American name has been frequently re- 
ported to the Major-General commanding, particularly on the part of 
portions of the cavalry. Hereafter, if the guilty parlies cannot be reached, 
the commanders of regiments and detachments will be held responsible, and 
thoso who prove themselves unequal to the task of preserving discipline 
in their commands, will be promptly reported to the War Department 
for "muster out." Summary punishment must be inflicted upon all offi- 
cers and soldiers apprehended in acts of violence or lawlessness. 

By order of Major-General U. S. Grant 

T. S. Bowers, Acting A. A.-G. 



The negroes in the Department having all become free 
by v ; rtue of President Lincoln's proclamation, and the oc- 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 339 

I 

cupation ol the country by the United States authorities, 
General Grant issued the following order for the care and 
disposition of such as were without protection or employ- 
ment : 

Head-Quarters, Department of the Tennessee, ) 
VlCKSBURG, Miss., August 10, 1863. ) 

[General Orders, No. 51.] 

I. At all military posts in States within this department, where 
slavery has been abolished by the proclamation of the President of the 
United States', camps will be established for such freed people of color as 
are out of employment* 

II. Commanders of posts or districts will detail suitable officers from 
the army as Superintendents of such camps. It will be the duty of such 
Superintendents to see that suitable rations are drawn from the Sub- 
sistence Department for such people as are confided to their care. 

III. All such persons supported by the Government will be employed in 
every practicable way so as to avoid, as far as possible, their becoming a 
bun ten upon the Government. They may be hired to planters or other 
citizens, on proper assurance that the negroes so hired will not be run 
off beyond the military jurisdiction of the United States ; they may be 
employed on any public works, in gathering crops from abandoned plan- 
tations, and generally in any manner local commanders may deem for 
the best interests of the Government, in compliance with law and the 
policy of the Administration. 

IV. It will be the duty of the provost-marshal at every military 
post, to see that every negro within the jurisdiction of the military au- 
thority is employed by some white person, or is sent to the camps pro- 
vided for freed people. 

V. Citizens may make contracts with freed persons of color for their la- 
bor, giving wages per month in money, or employ families of them by the 
year on plantations, (fee, feeding, clothing, and supporting the infirm as 
well as able-bodied, and giving a portion, not less than one-twentieth of 
the commercial part of their crops, inpayment for such services. 

VI. Wliere negroes are employed under thin authority, the parties employ- 
ing will register with the provost-marshal their names, occupation, and resi- 
dence, and the number of negroes so employed. They will enter into such 
bonds as the provost-marshal, with the approval of the local commander, may 
require, for the kind treatment and proper care of those employed, and as se- 
curity against their being carried beyond the employe's jurisdiction. 



340 GENEBAL GKANT 

• 

VII. Nothing of this order is to be construed to embarrass the em- 
ployment of such colored persons as may be required by the Govern- 
ment. 

By order of Major-Geueral U. S. Grant. 

T. S. Bowers, Acting A. A.-G. 

Having thus secured his department against every im- 
portant contingency, and having made provision for minor 
matters that did not require his personal superintendence, 
General Grant devoted a little time for the purpose of 
visiting the more distant districts under his command, 
leaving General McPherson, who had been appointed com- 
mander of the District of Vicksburg, to carry out the 
necessary orders in that immediate neighborhood. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. S41 



CHAPTER XLV. 

VISIT TO MEMPHIS AND NEW ORLEANS. 

On the 25th of August, 1863, General Grant arrived at 
Memphis, Tenn., where he was received with great honor 
by the inhabitants of that city, although it was late in the 
evening before he arrived. 

At ten o'clock the next morning a committee of citizens 
waited upon the General to tender him the hospitalities 
of the city and to present to him a series of resolutions 
passed at a meeting of the residents of Memphis held on 
the day of his arrival. At the close of the address an invi- 
tation was proffered to General Grant to be present at a 
dinner to be given in his honor that evening. The General 
received the committee cordially, but without further words 
than the thanking of the gentlemen, and through them the 
citizens of Memphis, for the great courtesy conferred upon 
him. After these ceremonious proceedings, an interview 
took place as to the most desirable time for the entertain- 
ment. The General signifying his satisfaction, nine o'clock 
was appointed. The committee then withdrew, and pro- 
ceeded to the business of preparation. 

The festival and reception was on a grand scale, and is 
thus described by one who was present : 

At precisely nine o'clock the band struck up one of the national airs, 
the doors of the reception-room flew open, and General Grant made his 
appearance. There was a great rush on the part of the enthusiastic and 
impatient to grasp the hero's hand. An hour, at least, though it seemed 
less, was thus consumed in hand-shaking and congratulations. After 



342 GE]*ERAL GRANT 

the lapse of this time the band again sent forth its melody in the shape 
of a march. The whole assemblage then formed in two ranks, headed 
b7 General Grant. This being done, the entire party marched into the 
dining-room, made the complete round of the tables, examining the 
preparations, and then seated themselves. As would be expected, no 
sooner had each individual fastened himself to his seat, than commenced 
a grand, simultaneous and destructive assault upon the various dishes 
before him. Under the withering gastronomic abilities of the assem- 
blage the victory was complete, and wound up by the total wreck and 
dissipation of the scene which, but a few moments before, shone refulgent 
in all its beauty. There suddenly appeared a masked battery of cham- 
pagne on our rear, which opened upon the guests a vigorous champagne 
cannonade. Soon the engagement became general, and, like all general 
engagements, everybody did pretty much as he pleased, so that he kept 
in the ranks and did not shirk, or leave the field. 
Next followed the regular toasts of the evening. 
The assemblage being called to order, the chairman arose and stated 
the fact. 

The toasts were then read. 

" The United States of America — They have one constitution and 
government. May they have one grand destiny while human institutions 
endure." Responded to by Hon. Chas. Kortrecht. 

" The Army and Navy — Their deeds and heroism in this war will be 
the noble theme of poet and historian in all futi .re time." Responded to 
by Adjutant-General Lorenzo Thomas. 
" General Grant — the guest of the city." 

This was the signal for the wildest applause, and it was some minutes 
before order could be restored. It was expected that General Grant would 
be brought to his feet by this ; but the company were dissapointed upon 
perceiving that instead his place was taken by his staff-surgeon, Dr. 
Hewitt, who remarked : 

" I am instructed by General Grant to say that, as he has never been 
given to public speaking, you will have to excuse him on this ocasion, 
and, as I am the only member of his staff present, I therefore feel it my 
duty to thank you for this manifestation of your good-will, as also the 
numerous other kindnesses of which he has been the recipient ever since 
his arrival among you. General Grant believes that in all he has done he 
has no more than accomplished a duty, and one, too, for which no particular 
honor is due. But the world, as you do, will accord otherwise." 
The Doctor then proposed, at General Grant's request — 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 343 

" Tho officers of the different staffs, and the non-commissioned officers 
and privates of the Army of the Tennessee." 

" The Federal Union — it must and will be preserved." Responded 
to by Major-General S. A. Hurlbut. 

"The Old Flag — May its extinguished stars, rekindled by the sacred 
flame of human liberty, continue to shine forever undiminished in num- 
ber, and undimmed in splendor." Brigadier-General Yeatch. 

" The President of the United States — ife must be sustained." Colo- 
nel J. TV. Fuller. 

The Star-Spangled Banner was here sung, the whole party joining in 
the chorus. 

" The Loyal Men of Tennessee — Their devotion to the Union, the 
cause of republican government and constitutional liberty is like gold 
tried seven times by fire." Mr. J. M. Tomeny* 



* Dr. Morris here read the following lines composed in honor of Gen- 
eral Grant : 

DE SOTO, FULTON, GRANT. 

The daring Spaniard, when his eyes beheld, 

For the first time, yon noble river roll, 

And sparkle in the sunbeams, as it bore 

Its mighty current onward to the sea, 

Fell upon bended knee and worshipped God 

Aloud, for that his painful task was done, , 

The secret of the ages he had solved — 

The Mississippi, sire of floods, stood forth, 

Embanked in verdure, bordered by a soil 

Richer than Egypt's Delta. 

Science and commerce winged their pinions there, 

And wrote his name, De Soto, on their scrolls. 

Ages rolled by, the tawny savage fled — 

The white man laurched his boat upon the flood, 

The forest fell, tho fertile soil gave back 

Unto the sower's hand a hundred-fold : 

Then rose the genius Fulton, and he taught 

To stem the unconquered flood, to push the weight 

Of mightiest keels tfgainst the heaving mass, 

That untold centuries had crowned with power, 

He sent his messengers in smoke and flame 

Up to the Mississippi's very fount ; 

And by the Spaniard's name he wrote his own — 

Fulton, tho nation's benefactor. 



344 



GENERAL GRAOT 



The remainder of the toasts were of a local character, with the ex- 
ception of the closing one, which was as follows : 

" General Grant — Your Grant and my Grant. Having granted ua 
victories, grant us the restoration of the " Old Flag;" grant us supplies f 
so that we may grant to our friends the grant to us." 

The festivities were kept up until near three o'clock in the morning 
when General Grant withdrew from the room. 



Yon sire of floods was the great bond that joined 
These waters into one : his bosom bore 
In precious freightage all that Nature yields 
From farthest North down to a torrid ciime ; 
Its channel was the highway of the "West: 
Science had made his heaving mass her own ; 
Pleasure danced revelry upon its floods ; 
Beauty and love dwelt by him all secure ; 
Fraternal hands joined hands along his banks ; 
His very waters made us all akin. 

Then spoke an enemy — and on his banks 

Armed men appeared, and cannon-shot proclaimed 

The Mississippi closed — that mighty stream 

Found by De Soto, and by Fulton won 1 

One thought to chain him! ignominious thought! 

But then the grand old monarch shook his locks 

And burst his fetters like a Samson freed I 

The heights were crowned with ramparts sheltering those 

"Whose treason knew no bounds : the frowning forts 

Belched lightnings, and the morning gun 

A thousand miles told mournfully the tale, 

The Mississippi closed. 



Not long ; from the Lord God of Hosts was sent 
A leader who with patient vigil planned 
A great deliverance : height by height was gained, 
Island and hill and woody bank and cliff. 
Month followed month, till on our natal day 
The last great barrier fell, and never more 
The sire of waters shall obstruction know 1 
Now with De Soto's name, and Fulton's, see 
The greater name of Grant ! 

Our children' s children, noble Grant, shall sing 
TJiat great deliverance ! On the floods of spring 
Thy name shall sparkle, smiling commerce tell 
Thy great achievement which restores the chain, 
Never again to break, which makes us one. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 345 

After the conclusion of the evening entertainment General Grant im- 
mediately left for the steamer City of Alton, which was lying at the 
wharf, and took his departure at once for Yicksburg. 

Before leaving the city General Grant forwarded to the Committee of 
the People the following letter : 

Memphis, Tennessee, August 26, 1863. 
Gentlemen: — I received a copy of the resolutions passed by the 
" loyal citizens of Memphis at a meeting held at the rooms of the Cham- 
ber of Commerce, August 25th, 1863," tendering me a public reception. 
In accepting this testimonial, which I do at a great sacrifice of my 
personal feelings, I simply desire to pay a tribute to the first public 
exhibition in Memphis of loyalty to the government which I represent 
in the Department of the Tennessee. I should dislike to refuse, for 
considerations of personal convenience, to acknowledge, anywhere or 
in any form, the existence of sentiments which I have so long and so 
ardently desired to see manifested in this department. The stability of 
this government and the unity of this nation depend solely on the cor- 
dial support and the earnest loyalty of the people. While, therefore, I 
thank you sincerely for the kind expressions you have used toward my- 
self, I am profoundly gratified at this public recognition, in the city of Mem- 
phis, of the power and authority of the government of the United States. 
I thank you, too, in the name of the noble army which I have the 
honor to command. It is composed of men whose loyalty is proved by 
their deeds of heroism and their willing sacrifices of life and health. 
They will rejoice with me that the miserable adherents of the rebellion, 
whom their bayonets have driven from this fair land, are being replaced 
by men who acknowledge human liberty as the only true foundation 
of human government. May your efforts to restore your city to the 
cause of the Union be as successful as have been theirs to reclaim it 
from the despotic rule of the leaders of the rebellion. I have the honor 
to be, gentlemen, your very obedient servant, 

U. S. Grant, Major- General. 

Messrs. E. Hough and others, Committee, Memphis. 

The affair of all sides was a triumphant success. The hospitality of 

Memphis, the liberality of its citizens, and the unmistakable evidences 

of their loyalty, so enthusiastically set forth, will, beyond all doubt, bo 

cherished by General Grant as one of the happiest recollections of his 

career. * ^^^^ 

* Army Correspondence. 



346 



GENERAL GRANT 



General Grant did not long remain at Vieksburg, but 
proceeded down the river to inspect the posts at Natchez 
and other points of his department, after which he paid a 
visit to General Banks at New Orleans for the purpose of 
opening up trade between that city and the North. Gene- 
ral Grant arrived at New Orleans on the 2d of September, 
within one week from the time he left Memphis, and the 
next day it was announced that the trade of the city of 
New Orleans with Cairo, St. Louis, and the cities and towns 
of the Upper Mississippi, the Missouri and Ohio rivers, was 
declared free from any military restriction whatever. The 
trade of the Mississippi at intermediate points within the 
Department of the Gulf was held subject only to such limi- 
tations as might prove necessary to prevent the supply of 
provisions and munitions of war to the enemies of the 
country. 

On the morning of the 4th of September 1863, General 
Grant held a grand review of the Thirteenth Army Corps, 
which had been under his command at Vieksburg, but was 
afterwards transferred to that of General Banks. A corre- 
spondent thus described the appearance of General Grant as 
he moved from his hotel for the purpose of taking the most 
prominent part in the review : — 

" General Banks, accompanied by a numerous staff, was 
at the St. Charles Hotel as early as eight o'clock, and at nine 
o'clock both generals left for Carrolton, where the review 
took place. The street was crowded to witness the depart- 
ure of these officers, all present being desirous of seeing 
General Grant. He toas in undress uniform, without 
sicord, sash, or belt; coat unbuttoned, a low-crovmed 
black felt hat, without any mark upon it of military 
rank ' a pair of kid gloves, and a cigar in his mouth. 
It must be known, however, that he is never without the 
latter except when asleep." 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 347 

During the review, General Grant, although a good 
horseman, being mounted on a strange horse, was sud- 
denly thrown from his seat, and severely injured. At 
this particular "time the mishap was of serious conse- 
quence with regard to the campaigns in the Southwest, 
as may be judged from the annual report of the General- 
in-Chief. 

It will be seen by the following extract from that docu- 
ment, that it was intended that General Grant should have 
taken command, in September, 1863, of the Union forces 
moving towards Northwestern Georgia ; but in conse- 
quence of his accident he was prevented from so doing. 

As three separate armies— those of the Ohio, Cumberland, and Ten- 
nessee — were now to operate in the same field, it seemed necessary to 
have a single commander, in order to secure a more perfect co-operation 
than had been obtained with the separate commands of Burnside and 
Rosecrans. General Grant, by his distinguished services and superior rank 
to all the other generals iD the "West, seemed entitled to this general 
command. But, unfortunately, he was at this time in New Orleans, un- 
able to take the field. Moreover, there was no telegraphic communica- 
tion with him, and the dispatches of September 13th, directed to him and 
General Sherman, did not reach them until some days after their dates, 
thus delaying the movement of General Grant's forces from Vicksburg. 
General Hurlbut, however, had moved the troops of his own corps, then 
in West Tennessee, with commendable promptness. These were to be 
replaced by re -enforcements from Steele's Corps in Arkansas, which also 
formed part of General Grant's army. Hearing nothing from General 
Grant or General Sherman's Corps at Vicksburg, it was determined on 
the 23d to detach the Eleventh and Twelfth Corps from the Army ot 
the Potomac, and send them by rail, under the command of General 
Hooker, to protect General Rosecrans's line of communication from 
Bridgeport to Nashville. It was known that these troops could not go 
immediately to the front. To send more men to Chattanooga, when 
those already there could not be fully supplied, would only increase the 
embarrassment, and probably cause the evacuation of that place. In 
other words, Hooker's command was temporarily performing the duties 
previously assigned to the re-enforcements ordered from Grant's army. 



348 GENERAL GRANT 

General Grant's injuries were of such a serious nature 
that it was feared he would never he ahle to take the 
field a^ain. He was carried from Carrolton on a litter to 
the steamer "Franklin," which took him up the river; 
his hreastbone was said to have been crushed, three ribs 
broken, and one side paralyzed ; and his brain was thought 
to be affected from the concussion of the fall from bis horse. 
Fortunately, for the country, by the aid of a good surgeon, 
he was enabled after over a month's illness to take the posi- 
tion destined for him, as Chief Commander in the West. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 349 



CHAPTER XLYI. 

AN ENLARGED COMMAND. — MILITARY DIVISION OF THE 
MISSISSIPPI. 

General Grant, as soon as he was able to move, began 
his voyage up the Mississippi River, agreeably to the 
orders from Washington. On bis road he stopped at the 
principal depots of his troops along the Mississippi, and ar- 
ranged for their departure eastward, at such proper times 
as would enable them to form a combination with the forces 
at Chattanooga. 

While at Vicksburg, General Grant was determined that 
his men should be paid, and issued an order to that effect. 
It was also necessary for him to make a tariff of rates to 
prevent impositions being practised upon the war-ruined 
people of the Southwest. The exorbitant prices of pas- 
sage on the Mississippi River called forth from department 
nead-quarters the last paragraph of the following order in 
relation to river matters : 

Head-Quarters, Department of tite Tennessee, ) 
Vicksburg, Miss., September, 29, 1863. J 

[General Orders, No. 59.] 

I. All enlisted men on detached service, in army corps other than that 
in which their regiments, detachments, or companies are serving, except 
those detailed by orders from department head-quarters, as nurses in 
general hospitals and hospital steamers, and clerks in staff departments, 
are hereby relieved from such detached service, and will report to their 
respective commands for duty. 

Army Corps commanders will see that this order is carried into im- 
mediate execution. 

II. Company and regimental commanders will furnish to the officer in 
charge of men of their respective commands, absent in hospitals or at 



350 GENERAL GRANT 

parole camps, proper descriptive lists and accounts of pay and clothing, 
to enable them to draw their pay. Such descriptive lists must contain the 
name, rank, description, where born, occupation, when, where, and by 
whom enrolled or enlisted, when, where, by whom, and for what period 
mustered, by what paymaster, and to what time last paid, the bounty 
paid and amount still due, and the amount due, to or from him, for cloth- 
ing, with the proper remarks showing his military history, etc. Descrip- 
tive lists showing less than this are valueless. Hereafter no enlisted man 
will be sent from his company or regiment without such descriptive list as is 
herein required being famished to the proper officer in charge, and any neg- 
lect to comply with this order will subject the offender to trial by court-mar- 
tial and dismissal from the service. 

It will be tlie duty of all officers of the Inspector- GeneraVs Department to 
properly inspect and report any neglect of duty in this particular.* 

III. Army Corps commanders will aunouDce in general orders the 
acting assistant inspectors-general of districts, divisions, and brigades 
within their respective corps, and will authorize them to make inspec- 
tions and recommend the disposal of unserviceable property, in accor- 
dance with army regulations and orders. 

So much of paragraph third of General Orders, No. 30, current series, 
from these head-quarters, as requires the acting assistant inspectors- 
general of districts, divisions, and brigades, to report direct to the Assist- 
ant Inspector-General at department head-quarters, is revoked, and all 
reports required by army regulations and existing orders will be for- 
warded through the proper military channels. 

IV. So much of General Orders, No. 49, current series, from these 
head-quarters, as establishes the rates of transportation and subsistence 
of commissioned officers travelling on steamboats within this depart- 
ment, is hereby revoked, and in lieu thereof is substituted the rates of 
military transportation and subsistence established by Colonel Lewis B. 
Parsons, Assistant-Quartermaster and General Superintendent of Trans- 
portation at St. Louis, Mo., August 1st, 1863, viz. : 

TO OR FROM ST. LOUIS TO THE FOLLOWING PLACES : 

Cairo to Columbus $4 Vicksburg $16 

Memphis 10 Port Hudson 18 

Helena 12 New Orleans 20 

* General Grant was determined that soldiers should not lose their 
pay through the carelessness of their officers. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 351 

And to or from all intermediate points at like rates in proportion to 
distance transported. 

Enlisted men will be entitled to travel as cabin passengers, when they 
desire it, at same rates. 

By order of Major-General U. S. Grant. 

John A. Rawlins, Brig.-Gen. and A. A.-G. 

General Grant, before he left the Department of the Ten- 
nessee, regulated the military civic jurisdiction over the 
conquered region around Vicksburg. 

The administration of the city was excellent, and the 
numerous secessionists still remaining there were kept 
strictly on their good behavior in dread of " exile," as they 
considered the operation of sending them to their friends 
within the rebel lines. The following officers composed 
the administration : — District Commander, Major-General 
James B. McPherson ; Post Commander, Major-General 
John A. Logan ; District Provost-Marshal, Lieutenant-Col- 
onel James Wilson ; Post Provost-Marshal, Lieutenant- 
Colonel Waddell. As a reward for special bravery General 
Grant instituted the "Insignia of Honor" for the Seven- 
teenth Corps. The design of the medals was a blending 
of the crescent, a star and a shield ; the base being formed 
of the crescent, to the two extremities of which was fixed 
the star, while pendant from its lower point was suspended 
a shield. Upon the crescent the words " Vicksburg, July 
4, 1863." The object in the presentation of these badges 
was to reward the meritorious members of the Seven- 
teenth Corps for conspicuous valor on the field of battle or 
endurance in the march. This famous corps since its 
organization had been foremost in duty and deeds of glory 
throughout the entire campaign against Vicksburg, and 
no better method could have been adopted to continue in 
the future the same excellent spirit of emulation for which 
it has always been celebrated, both on the part of officers 
and men. 



352 GENERAL GRANT 

The following General Order was issued by the Corps 
commander, at the instigation of General Grant, in rela- 
tion to the distribution of these badges : 

Head-Quarters, Seventeenth Army Corps, ) 
Department of the Tennessee, v 

Vicksbdrg, Miss., Oct. 2, 18G3. ) 
[General Orders, No. 30.] 

I. In order to encourage and reward the meritorious and faithful 
officers and men of this corps, a "Medal of Honor," with appropriate 
device, has been prepared, and will be presented by a " Board of Honor," 
of which the Major-General commanding is the advisory member, to all 
those who, by their gallantry in action and other soldierlike qualities, 
have most distinguished themselves, or who may hereafter most dis- 
tinguish themselves, during the war. 

II. The following officers will constitute the "Board of Honor" here- 
by appointed: 

Major-General John A. Logan, commanding Third Division. 

Brigadier-General John.McArthur, commanding First Division. 

Brigadier-General John E. Smith, commanding Second Division. 

Brigadier-General M. M. Crocker, commanding Fourth Division. 

Brigadier-General T. E. G. Eansom, commanding Second Brigade, 
First Division. 

Brigadier-General M. M. Force, commanding Second Brigade, Third 
Division. 

Brigadier-General W. Q. Gresham, commanding Third Brigade, 
Fourth Division. 

Brigadier-General Alex. Chambers, commanding Third Brigade, First 
Division. 

Colonel Gabriel Bouck, Eighteenth "Wisconsin Infantry. 

Lieutenant-Colonel A. M. Powell, Chief of Artillery. 

III. Company commanders will forward to the commanding officer of 
their regiment a list of the names of the non-commissioned officers and 
men of their command whom they deem entitled to receive the "med- 
al," accompanied by a full and complete statement of facts to guide tho 
" Board" in their award. These lists will be revised by the regimental 
commander, who will forward them, with his remarks, to the command- 
ing officer of the brigade. 

IV. Regimental commanders will send similar lists of those officers 
of their command whom they believe entitled to the "medal," to thy 



ASTD HIS CAMPAIGNS. 353 

brigade commander, who, after revising the whole, will send them di- 
rect to the President of the " Board." 

V. The " Board of Honor" will be convened upon the order of the 
President, at such times and places as he may direct, and they are em- 
powered to make all needful rules and regulations for the attainment 
of the object of this order — the just and impartial award to the most 
deserving of the " Medal of Honor." 

By order of Major-General Jas. B. McPuerson. 

W. T. Clark, A. A.-G. 



After the repulse of the forces at Chickamauga in front 
of Chattanooga, important movements of troops com- 
menced from General Grant's department toward that 
place. All of General Sherman's Fifteenth Army Corps, 
excepting General Tuttle's Division, was transported from 
Vicksburg to the line of the Memphis and Charleston 
Railroad. On Saturday, Octobeij^lOth, General Oster- 
haus's Division entered Iuka. No considerable body of 
rebels were encountered anywhere on the march between 
Iuka and Corinth. The rebel cavalry were seen hovering 
on the Union flank and front continually, although they 
gave but little trouble or uneasiness. A reconnoissance 
was made on October 11th by two regiments of infantry, 
a section of artillery, and one company of caval r y, and re- 
vealed a battalion of cavalry at the crossing of Bear Creek, 
five miles east of Iuka. 

In the mean time, it was known by the rebels that Gene- 
ral Sherman was at Memphis, and intended to pass over 
the Memphis and Charleston Railroad to Chattanooga. A 
body of rebel cavalry and infantry therefore concentrated 
at Wyeth, a small village on the Tallahatchie, where were 
located the head-quarters of Colonel Chalmers. This force 
was further increased by the addition of a number of con- 
scripts. Having thus gathered all the numbers they could 
in the country, Chalmers found himself at the head of 



L 



354 GENERAL GRANT 

about four thousand men of all kinds and five pieces of ar- 
tillery. With this command he moved north, and on the 
morning of October 11th made his appearance upon the 
railroad, several miles beyond Colliersville. The regular 
passenger train, though in his power, the enemy allowed 
to pass, but as soon as that had run by, working parties 
were thrown upon the track, which was torn up in several 
places and the ties stacked upon the road and fired. These 
fires proved a fortunate circumstance, as, soon after, General 
Sherman and staff, accompanied by his body guard, a bat- 
talion of the Thirteenth Regulars, approached the place on 
an extra train. Discovering the fires, the troops on board 
prepared for an attack, though they did not disembark, 
and the entire party ran up to the station. As they were 
passing a certain point, as was expected, the enemy fired 
upon the train, particularly into the passenger car, wound- 
ing several persons. Having run up to the stockade, the 
enemy closed in upon the Union troops, and commenced a 
fire from all directions. In order to cover the transit of the 
United States troops from the train to the stockade, the 
regulars made a charge out of the cars and directly upon 
the enemy, who fled in all directions in a perfect panic. 
The entire force then succeeded in taking refuge within 
the stockade, and acted entirely on the defensive. 

Before General Sherman arrived, the garrison had en- 
gaged the enemy in a desperate conflict, and at the time 
of bis appearance they had been overwhelmed and driven 
within the fortifications of the place. The fight continued 
but a short time after the opportune arrival of the regu- 
lars, though while it did the General took an active part 
among the men. His presence had much to do with keep- 
ing up their spirits. 

The enemy soon exhibited signs of discomfiture. Imme- 
diately upon the receipt of information that the enemy 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 355 

■was in this neighborhood, a strong body of infantry re- 
enforcemcnts was ordered from Memphis to the scene of 
operations. At the same time the cavalry, encamped at 
Germantown, were ordered to mount and move out. A 
force also demonstrated from the east. 

On October 21st, the Union forces moving eastward from 
Corinth met with resistance near Cherokee Station, eighty- 
nine miles from Tuscumbia. General Osterhaus was in 
the advance, and had not moved far when he encountered 
two brigades of rebel cavalry, estimated at from four to 
six thousand. The fight lasted an hour, when the rebels 
were defeated. 

General Sherman, finding that to advance along the rail- 
road would only lead to continual fighting and delay, kept 
a small force moving by that direction, while he marched 
the main body north of the Tennessee River, and thus 
reached Chattanooga without any serious opposition, as 
the rebels had concentrated their forces to resist his ad- 
vance by the route south of that stream. 

Meanwhile General Giant moved up the Mississippi 
River to Cairo, and as he did so, he paid a short visit to all 
the military posts along that river. He telegraphed his 
arrival at each of these places to the head-quarters of the 
General in-Chief at Washington, and the Secretary of War 
started to meet him on the route. When General Grant 
arrived at Indianapolis, he found that a telegram was there 
awaiting him at the depot, requesting him to delay his 
further journey until the arrival of that official. It was 
not long before they met, and as soon as the Secretary of 
War and General Grant had passed the usual compliments 
between gentlemen on their first personal acquaintance, 
the former handed the latter the following order: 



356 



GENERAL GRANT 



War Department, Adjutant-General's Office, ) 
Washington, October 16, 1S63. \ 

[General Orders, No. 337.] 

By direction of the President of the United States, the Departments 
of the Ohio, of the Cumberland, and of the Tennessee, will constitute- 
the Military Division of the Mississippi. Major-General U. S. Grant, 
United States army, is placed in command of the Military Division of 
the Mississippi, with his head-quarters in the field. 

Major-General W. S. Rosecrans, U. S. Vols., is relieved from the com- 
mand of the Department and Army of the Cumberland. Major-General 
G. H. Thomas is hereby assigned to that command. 

By order of the Secretary of War. 

E. D. Townsend, A. A.-G. 



The party then proceeded, with their special attendants, 
to Louisville, where their arrival created intense excite- 
ment. They found a wondering crowd gathered in the 
hall of the Gait House to catch a glimpse of the hero of 
Vicksburg. Numerous were the exclamations of wonder 
as General Grant made his appearance. There seemed to 
have been an impression that the General was above the 
ordinary stature of men. 

"I thought he was a large man," said a native. "He 
would be considered a small chance of a fighter if he lived 
in Kentucky." 

The medium sized frame of the General formed a 
strange contrast to the huge figures of the Kentuckians 
who swarmed to behold him. 

During the afternoon, General Grant indulged in a ride 
on horseback around the town. He was still unable to 
walk* without his cane and crutch, but managed to ride 
quite well. Even then, in his feeble condition, it would 
have required a strong effort on the part of a horse to 
unseat him. 

The condition of the region of country over which 
General Grant was now to exercise superintendence, was 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 



357 



such as to require immediate action ; and notwithstand- 
ing his crippled condition, he at once assumed his new 
command, announcing the same in the following simple 
order : 

Head-Quarters Military Division of the Mississippi, ) 
Louisville, Ky., October 18, 1863. ) 

[General Orders, No. 1.] 

In compliance with General Orders, No. 337, of date Washington, 
D. C, October 16th, 1863, the undersigned hereby assumes command of 
the "Military Division of the Mississippi, embracing the departments 
of the Ohio, of the Cumberland, and of the Tennessee." 

The head-quarters of the Military Division of the Mississippi will be 
in the field, where all reports and returns required by army regulations 
and existing orders will be made. U. S. Grant, Major- General. 

The new command of General Grant was one of the 
most stupendous ever held by a General, below the grade 
of a General-in-Chief, in this or any other nation. It cov- 
ered a larger area and controlled a greater number of 
troops than had previously been massed under one man. 
The Military Division of the Mississippi embraced the cen- 
tral zone of operations, and the nature of the territory be- 
longing thereto rendered it absolutely essential that one 
mind should direct its movements. The necessity for 
proper co-operation alone made this imperative. 

General Grant now had under his direction four of the 
largest armies in the field. His own army, with which he 
won the victories in and around Vicksburg, and through- 
out Mississippi ; the " Army of the Cumberland ;" the 
" Army of the Ohio," and General Hooker's Grand Divi- 
sion. Under him were a perfect galaxy of Marshals. His 
array commanders were Generals Sherman, Thomas, Burn- 
side, and Hooker. (General Foster's column was after 
wards added.) His corps commanders were as follows: 

The Fourth Army Corps, General Granger ; the Ninth 
Army Corps, General Potter; the Eleventh Army Corps, 



358 



GENERAL GRANT 



General Howard ; the Twelfth Army Corps, General Slo- 
cura; the Fourteenth Army Corps, General Palmar; the 
Fifteenth Army Corps, General J. A. Logan ; the Six- 
teenth Army Corps, General Hurlbut ; the Seventeenth 
Army Corps, General McPherson ; and the Twenty-third 
Army Corps, General Man son. 

His division and brigade leaders were not inferior, 
while the regiments were of the best fighting material in 
the world. 

The country embraced within the limits of this new 
command included the States of Michigan, Illinois, Indi- 
ana, Ohio, Kontucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Northern 
Alabama and Northwestern Georgia. One glance at the 
map will therefore show what comprised General Grant's 
Military Division of the Mississippi. 

The opposing forces were not less grand in their consti- 
tution. General Bragg's army embraced his own veteran 
troops, and to that army were added Longstreet's and 
Hill's Corps from the Virginia rebel army. General Pem- 
berton's army, which were said to be exchanged, were 
with Bragg. Joe Johnston had a co-operating force of 
30,000 men, in addition to which there was a small rebel 
force in Mississippi, consisting of one brigade of infantry 
at Newton Station, on the Southern Road, and a cavalry 
division of from 5,000 to 6,000, operating between Jack- 
son and the Big Black, urj^er General S. D. Lee. 

The rebels, however, began to dread the approaching 
campaign, as is evident from the following extract from 
one of their newspapers, published in Atlanta : 

The Yankee Army of the Cumberland holds the door to lower East 
Tennessee, and this door we must leave open. * * * If we continue to 
gaze listlessly from the bold knobs of Missionary Ridge upon the com- 
fortable barracks of the Federals below, then may we tremble for the 
next campaign ; for, as sure as there is any surety in the future, the 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 359 

spring of 1864 must see us far from the borders of Georgia, or near to 
the verge of destruction. Nail it to your door-posts, men of the South, 
and refuse to bo deluded into any other belief! Food and raiment are 
our needs. We must have them. Kentucky and Middle Tennessee can 
only supply them. Better give up the scacoast, better give up the Southwest, 
aye, letter to give up Richmond without a struggle, and win these, than lose 
the golden field, whose grain and wool are our sole hope. The enemy has 
just one army too many in the field for us. "We must crush this over- 
plus ; we must gain one signal Stonewall Jackson campaign. Destiny 
points to the very place Be Rosecrans the victim. Defeat him, pul- 
verize him, run him to the Ohio River, and then close the war with the 
next summer. And how ? Nothing easier. The bee which has really 
stung our flank so long, once disposed of, our triumphant legions have 
a clear road before them. Fed sumptuously through the winter, well 
shod and clad, they have only to meet a dispirited foe, retake ihe valley 
of the Mississippi, secure the election of a place democrat to the Presi- 
dency in the fall, and arrange the terms of treaty and independence. 
These results can be accomplished nowhere else than in this depart- 
ment. The Northwest is our real adversary.* 

The readers of this chapter will see the position of af- 
fairs when General Grant assumed his new command. It 
must, however, not he forgotten that he had under him the 
troops that had been sorely defeated at Chickamauga, and 
were at that time shut up in Chattanooga by a besieging 
force of the rebels. The enemy believed that they had this 
force securely in a trap, and when they heard of the 
change in the command they began to make light of it. 
One of their journalists remarked that the Union authori- 
ties had removed a hero (Rosecrans), and placed two fools 
(Grant and Thomas) in command. The President is re- 
ported to have said, that " if one fool like Grant can do as 
much work, and win as profitable victories as he, he had 
no objection to two of them, as they would surely wipe 
out the rebellion." 

* Chattanooga — Atlanta Rebel, Nov. 9th, 1863. 



360 



GENERAL GRANT 



CHAPTER XL VII. 

ACTIVE MOVEMENTS. LOOKOUT VALLEY. 

General Grant was not the man to stand idle when 
there was work to be done. He, therefore, soon left 
Louisville, after making certain necessary arrangements 
for co-operation of troops from Kentucky, and arrived in 
Nashville on the morning of October 21st. He was during 
the same evening introduced to the people of Nashville, 
by the Military Governor, but refused to make any speech 
to them. Having made certain dispositions of his forces 
in this vicinity, to secure his communications, and having 
ordered the re-gauging of the railroads, so that one con- 
tinuous line of communication should exist between the 
Ohio River and Chattanooga, General Grant took his de- 
parture for the latter place, where he arrived on October 
23d. 

The situation of affairs at this time in the neighborhood 
of Chattanooga, is thus described by a correspondent : 

The sad position of affairs is in nowise changed up to date. I trust 
that every warrior in this army is alive to it; for I confess I do not see 
any very brilliant prospects for continuing alive in it all this winter, unless 
something desperate be done. While the army sits here, hungry, chilly, 
watching the '"key to Tennessee," the "good dog" Bragg lies over 
against us, licking his Chickamauga sores without whine or growl. He 
will not reply to our occasional shots from Star Fort, Fort Crittenden, or 
tne Moccasin Point batteries across the river; has forbidden the ex- 
change of newspapers and the compliments of the day between pickets; 
ha3 returned surly answers to flag of truce messages ; in fact, has cut 



:. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 3G1 

us dead. They know we have been, and are being largely re-enforced, 
and fear a flank movement, similar to that which gave Rosecrans pos- 
session of Chattanooga. TMs is a synopsis of the situation. The de- 
tails, so far as relates to our side of the house, about which I am only 
expected to know, are far less cheering. 

By the Anderson road (north of the Tennessee), from Bridgeport to 
Chattanooga the distance is something like sixty miles, and since the 
heavy rains of the past week, the entire route is dismal beyond execra- 
tion. Mules stage through twenty-five or thirty miles of almost un- 
fathomable mud, toil up and ovei^a mountain — Walden's Ridge — where 
a single misstep would insure their exit from life over a frightful pre- 
cipice, grinding along, over enormous boulders and jagged rocks, 
through more mud, to the muddy banks of the river at Chattanooga. 
A thousand pounds of provisions or forage were an extraordinary load 
for the best of six mule teams on their trial trips over this route ; but 
now it is positive inhumanity to ask half that work of the jaded, half- 
starved brutes. Yet all the supplies must come by this route, and every 
animal able to stagger under a burthen, must be kept on the move. 
Trains, once the pride and boast of proprietary quartermasters, have 
dwindled away ; wagon after wagon worn out, or destroyed by Wheeler's 
raiders, till the transportation of the army is not half what it was, or one- 
quarter what it should be ; and, unless we shall be able to navigate the 
river soon, want stares us in the face. Half rations for troops will suffice 
for a time; quarter rations, now darkly hinted, is rather "crowding the 
mourners," the troops say. A very patient and meek mule can exist 
on two or three pounds of corn per day ; but wagon boxes, dry leaves, 
and woollen blankets, with harness for relish, are not conducive to mule 
health, strength, and longevity. Angular skeletons of artillery horses 
rattle past my quarters toward the Tennessee — Heaven be thanked 
there is plenty of water — while I4tvrite this, and within my range of 
vision, up and down the main street, are numbers of weak and trem- 
bling horse " frames," glandered and starving, staggering about in 
search of a convenient spot to die. 

The mortality among these innocents is frightful to contemplate. 
Their corpses line the road, and taint the air, all along the Bridgeport 
route. In these days, hereabouts, it is within the scope of the most 
obtuse to distinguish a quartermaster or staff officer, by a casual glance 
at the animal he strides. " He has the fatness of twenty horses upon 
his ribs," as Squeers remarked of little Wackfbrd; "and so he has 
God help the others." 
16 



302 GENERAL GRANT 

I am assured this state of things will not last long ; that hordes of 
men are energetically at work improving our means of communication, 
and that we soon shall be benefited by the overflowing plenty of the 
North. The vigor and good spirits of the army all this time are de- 
veloped in a most astonishing manner. 

Major-General Grant, who presides over the destinies of this, amongst 
other armies, reached Chattanooga to-day. He was accompanied by 
Quartermaster-General Meigs, and Mr. Dana, of the War Department, 
who now returns after a short absence. They have come back, per- 
haps, to witness operations at the front, which their superior knowledge 
of the situation may lead them to expect. If I should write what I know 
of the whereabouts and movements of the troops, above and below us, on 
the Tennessee River, and elsewhere, all aiming at that grand object, the 
overthrow of " this accursed rebellion," I would, no doubt, be arrested for 
dealing in contraband news. Luckily, I know so little about Burnside, 
General Joe Hooker, and the rest, that it requires but little effort to keep 
my pencil quiet. They are in their proper places, however. General 
Grant probably knows where they are, and what they are doing ; the 
enemy will find out when the thing is fully developed. One of Wheel- 
er's couriers was captured the other day, with that chieftain's written 
reply to a dispatch from General Braxton Bragg, ordering the raider 
back into Middle Tennessee. Wheeler said it was utterly impossible 
for him to go back, on account of his impoverished and worn-out con- 
dition. His command would not hold together. (He said nothing 
about the Union troopers, who were following him up in vast force.) 
He also whined considerably about the difficulty in escaping across the 
Tennessee to the South. He was prevented, he said, by " Lee's Fed- 
eral Jayhawkers." How Grant's cavalry could bother the rebels in 
Southern Tennessee, was something the raider couldn't understand.* 

General Grant no sooner made his appearance at Chat- 
tanooga, than a change was at once set about in the situa- 
tion of affairs. He had left directions for the management 
of the raiders, with the corps and district commanders out- 
side of that position, and he, therefore, was at liberty to 
direct his personal attention to the re-opening of commu- 
nications, by proper routes, with his depots of supplies. 

* Army Correspondence. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 363 

After the battles of Chickamauga, the post on Lookout 
Mountain was abandoned by the Union troops, and was 
immediately taken possession of by the rebels. From this 
point the rebels were enabled to shell the supply trains 
moving along the valley route towards Chattanooga from 
Bridgeport. From this cause the Union troops were com- 
pelled to take their supplies along the mountain roads, de- 
scribed in the foregoing correspondence. 

To reopen the valley route was General Grant's primary 
and most important design. He, therefore, while at Nash- 
ville communicated his plans to General Hooker, and when 
he arrived at Chattanooga, he, with the assistance of his 
chief-engineer, Brigadier-General W. F. Smith, at once set 
about the work. 

The following correspondence will show what was 
accomplished during this movement : 

Chattanooga, October 28, 1863. 

The reoccupation of Lookout and the reopening of the " Southern 
line" to Bridgeport has for some time been the chief aim of strategists 
in this department. A movement of Major-General Hooker's troops 
from opposite Bridgeport, along the south bank of the Tennessee, 
through Shellmound and Whiteside, commenced a week ago.* A large 
additional force, under Major-General Palmer — spared from the army 
without weakening our lines — joined Hooker on the march up Lookout 
Valley, and the combined forces effected a junction with Brigadier-Gen- 
eral Hazen's command last night, near the foot of Lookout. The valley 
route to Bridgeport is now ours, and I am led to believe that move- 
ments in progress will give us possession of the mountain itself, and 
perhaps force an evacuation by Bragg's whole army ere many weeks 
are gone. 

I am, at present, unable to write particularly of the preliminary move- 
ments by the forces under General Hooker's immediate command ; but 
I am able to describe the hazardous expedition of the co-operating 
forces from this end of the line with all the accuracy of an eye-witness. 
Fourteen hundred men were, on Monday night, October 2Gth, picked 

* While General Grant was at Nashville. 



364 GENERAL GRANT 

from Brigadier General W. B. Hazen's Brigade, Fourth Army Corps, and 
ordered to report at the pontoon bridge, Chattanooga, at midnight. 
The selection of General Hazen and his troops forihe expedition was 
due to a reputation they had long since established for dash and daring, 
and the brilliant result proves it a well-founded one. So well had tho 
secret been kept that not one of the fourteen hundred braves, aside 
from the General and staff, knew where they were going, as they step- 
ped into the pontoon boats which had been provided for them. The 
expedition filled fifty-six boats, an average of twenty-five men to a 
Chattanooga built pontoon. Soon after the embarkation, when they had 
floated through the gap in the bridge arranged for their passage, the 
men of the expedition began to understand their situation and to dis- 
cover the object of their midnight excursfcn. They were to run past 
the rebel batteries and sharpshooters on Lookout, and effect a landing 
at Brown's Ferry, eight miles below, by the river line. The moon was 
shining bright, but occasionally overcast by drifting clouds, and it 
seemed impossible to pass the frowning batteries of Lookout without 
discovery. At half-past one o'clock the advance guard boat, reached 
Chattanooga Creek, three miles below the starting point and the extreme 
outpost of our lines. Here a halt was made to concentrate the forces, 
and the General's watch marked half-past two before the final start wa3 
made. Oars were now discarded, and, hugging to the right bank, creep- 
ing along under its shadows, the boats reached the front of Lookout 
Brave men held their breath, every eye was fixed upon the mountain, 
and not a muscle moved as we approached the dangerous point. Rebel 
camp fires could be seen far up the dark mountain side, their signal 
torches working slowly, but incessantly, with now and then a stave 
from some secession air, drowsily sung by the rebel pickets. Not a shot or 
an alarm as yet, and the men breathed a little freer as the mountain 
was passed, and we emerged from its shadow into the modified dark- 
ness of the valley below. 

The force was now divided, the First Division, comprising half the 
force, landing at Brown's Ferry, about one and a half miles below 
Lookout. A rebel cavalry picket was surprised here and fled, closely 
pursued, up the road, after exchanging a few shots. The second detach- 
ment landed at the foot of a ridge bordering the river, at a point two 
miles below Brown's Ferry. The ridge, slippery and almost inaccessi- 
ble, towered three hundred feet above the level of the river ; but the 
brave men of the expedition, under the wild excitement of the move- 
ment and the situation, pushed up the steep declivity almost at a run 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 065 

A rebel picket post on the crest of the ridge was scattered by a volley 
and a yell, and the lirst point was gained. Two days before four rebel 
regiments were stationed in the valley behind this ridge, at the foot of 
Raccoon Mountain, and an attack was to be expected from them. The 
sequel proved they had been relieved on Monday, and the force now 
occupying the camp consisted of two strange regiments, with three 
pieces of artillery. This force moved along the rear of the ridge £.nd 
attacked the First Division of the expedition, which had landed at 
Brown's Ferry. Their superior numbers forced the troops back to the 
landing, and the rebels planted guns in position to sweep the road to 
the ferry. It was now four o'clock in the morning, and movements 
could be distinguished in the gray light of dawn. The cannonading by 
the rebel battery worked no cfomage. Not a man was hurt. General 
Hazen threw out skirmishers, and a brisk fight ensued. The attacking 
force of rebels was finally driven back in the direction of Lookout 
Mountain and up its steep sides, while, under cover of a battery on 
the Union or north side of the Tennessee. Turchin's Brigade, under 
Brigadier-General Smith, Engineer Corps, crossed on pontoons to the 
support of Hazen. Being now firmly established, scouting parties wero 
sent out, and the country once more passed into the possession of 
the United States. The rebels from a battery half way up the mountain, 
kept up a desultory fire till ten o'clock in the forenoon. Our position 
was secure, and camps were established on the ridge. A foraging party, 
on an excursion into the country thereabouts, discovered mines of for- 
age, which was particularly acceptable to the then impoverished Union 
troops.* 

The operations of General Hooker's column are thus 
described by a participant : 

Isr the Field, Lookout Valley, ) 
October 29, 1863. J 

On the morning of October 2Gth, we left Bridgeport, Ala., by crossing 
a pontoon at that place, and moving forward to Shell Mount. The. 
next day at daylight we moved forward to and through Lookout Valley, 
at a point adjacent to where the roads fork — the one going to, and being 
called the Chattanooga road, and the other Brown's Ferry. 

Here the enemy made a short stand, but was soon driven from this 
position. The enemy was posted on a high and commanding elevation. 

* Army Correspsondence. 



366 GENERAL GRANT 

Our troops moved forward, in line, to the right and left of the hill, and 
when there was an evidence that the enemy would be surrounded, the 
latter retreated, in double-quick time, and fell back across Lookout 
Creek, where he was supported by a reserve rebel force. 

In moving along the enemy appeared upon our right, on the Lookout 
Mountain ridge — as we moved parallel to it. The enemy opened upon 
our forces, moving in column, from Point Lookout, but did not succeed 
in checking the progress of the troops. The rebel signal officers, too, 
in plain sight, but far above us, pursued their business, and seemed to 
run along on a ridge, signalling with a view to attract our attention. 
This signalling continued thus for several miles, and until our forces 
got fully abreast of Point Lookout, &c. It must have been exceedingly 
annoying to the rebels to see our long line wind its way in and out of 
the woods and on the road unbroken and at a steady march, notwith- 
standing the fire from his high posted guns. Of course, at certain times 
there were many narrow escapes. Shells constantly burst to the righb 
and left of the road (which lies almost at the base of the mountain), but 
few on it. The orderly passage of the troops under this fire reflected 
much credit on the commanders of all grades. The enemy attempted 
to destroy our trains, but signally failed even in this. This species of 
shelling was continued upon our line for several hours, and even until 
dark, but without inflicting any injury of consequence. So close at one 
time was one portion the Union troops, that the enemy threw percus- 
sion shells by hand off the mountain, and they exploded almost in our 
midst. 

The morning of the 28th opened with a clear, bright, beautiful moon- 
light, the scenery on every side traced in dark sombre on the back 
ground of the sky. High, towering mountains — the Raccoon Mountain 
on one side and the Lookout Mountain on the other — and the valley 
diversified by open fields and small clumps of woods, formed a curious 
picture. On Lookout Mountain bright fires burned, and told us too 
plainly where to look for the enemy and his signal officers. Our camp 
fires burned brightly, and our line lay on a parallel with what was the 
enemy's on the day previous. Two divisions were encamped on the left 
or front of our line. Another division, General Geary's, was in bivouac, 
about one mile and a half from the other two divisions. Between the 
two sections of the command the enemy held a position on the Chatta- 
nooga road proper, as also on the railroad. In brief, the enemy had a 
force, in a gap between tho base of the point of Lookout Mountain, 
along the river on the flats and some hills, partially situated in our rear. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 3C7 

Suddenly the Union troops were aroused by the heavy firing in the 
direction of General Geary's Division. At once preparation was made 
for a general engagement. The troops were soon in column, and the 
trains and ambulances got in readiness for the emergency. As they 
pressed forward on the road to join General Geary, the enemy opened a 
heavy fire of musketry from a high hill close to their line of advance. 
At once our commanding generals comprehended the state of affairs. 
The enemy had intended their movement to be a surprise; and one with 
a view to the probable surrounding and possible capture of Geary's torce. 
From prisoners taken during the fight that ensued, we learned that General 
Longstreet, on beholding our column move up the Lookout Valley toward 
Chattanooga, quietly massed two divisions on Lookout Mountain, and 
moved them up to and across Lookout Creek, with a view to the carry- 
ing out of the plan of his surprise movement. About eight p. m. he 
moved his division across the creek. One division passed on to the 
Chattanooga road and occupied two hills commauding the road, on a 
parallel, leading to Brown's Ferry. The other division passed down 
the railroad, and from there on to the Chattanooga road, below the fork. 
The rebels had intrenched themselves on the hill, and from their works 
had opened fire upon the Union command ; but this did not delay the 
advance of the re-enforcements, which pushed along under fire through 
an open space or field to the right of the front of the hills. 

While this command was pressing forward, a second division was 
moved up on the road, and a courier sent to inform General Geary of 
the near approach of assistance. 

An order was now given to take the hill, and the second division was 
assigned to the task. The advance was commenced and the enemy 
poured down a heavy fire of musketry. Slowly the men went up the 
hill, the ascent of which was so steep that it was as much as a man 
could do to get to the top in peaceful times, and with the help of day 
light. This hill was covered with briar bushes, fallen trees, and tangling 
masses of various descriptions, but our boys pressed forward in spite of 
all obstructions. The whole division at last gave a sudden start forward 
and gained the crest of the hill. The enemy's line wavered and broke, 
and the rebels composing it went down the other side of the hill with 
broken, flying, and disordered ranks. On gaining the crest our men 
found that they had not only driven the enemy off, but had taken some 
tolerably well-constructed earthworks, behind which the rebels had 
posted themselves. It was then ascertained, too, that the hill had been 
occupied by about two thousand rebels. The success and the gallantry 



368 GENERAL GRANT 

with which the height was taken elicited general commendation to the 
skill and bravery of the troops and their commanding officers. 

Soon after this a detachment from another division took the next hill 
to the right without much resistance. 

The enemy continued a scattering fire for some time after the hills 
were taken, but finally ceased troubling us. 

hi the mean time, General Geary had bravely resisted the rebel attack, , 
and after two hours' hard fighting the enemy retreated, without making 
Geary's line to waver or fall back a foot. Almost every horse in one 
section of artillery was shot dead. The enemy retired across the rail- 
road, and from there to the other side of the creek.* 

The success of this movement of General Grant's forces 
was very annoying to the rebels, as may be judged from the 
following extract from one of their journals : 

The movements of the enemy at Chattanooga are still uncertain, 
Whether the occupation of Lookout Mountain indicates an advance, or 
is, like the last crossing of the Rappahannock at Fredericksburg by 
Sedgwick's Corps, merely a feint to cover a retreat, has not yet trans- 
pired ; but when considered in connection with the reported retreat 
from Loudjn, and its occupation by our forces, we are inclined to 
believe that Grant is preparing a " change of base" from East Tennes- 
see to some point more accessible for supplies. This supposition be- 
comes more probable wben it is remembered that from Lookout Yalley 
to Bridgeport his retreat could be more expeditiously made than from 
Chattanooga. 

But whether for advance or retreat this occupation of Lookout Yalley 
is of importance. If for the former, it demonstrates that the enemy have 
recovered from their defeat at Chickamauga, and taken the initiative, al- 
ways one of importance in military movements. It may be useless to 
inquire why the enemy were permitted to regain strength, morale, and 
organization, and begin offensive movements, in the immediate front, 
under the very nose of General Bragg. The vanquished, flying enemy, 
whom General Bragg reported to be "pursued by our cavalry," have 
turned upon the pursuers and have occupied a threatening position upon 
the flank of the victors. The enemy were outfought at Chickamauga, 
thanks to the army, but the present position of affairs looks as though 

* New York Herald correspondence. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. ^ 369 

we had been outgeneraled at Chattanooga. "We hope these, our appre- 
hensions, may turn out groundless, and that the strategy of General 
Bragg may prove equal to the prowess and gallantry of his army : but 
we must confess that the country will be as much surprised as pleased 
should success attend our arms at Chattanooga. 

If the occupation of Loukout Valley by the enemy has been made to 
cover a retreat, an opportunity for energy, strategy, and perseverance, 
will be afforded GeneralBragg, which if promptly embraced and efficiently 
pursued, will do much to reinstate him in the confidence of the army 
and the country. As the risk is to be taken under General Bragg, we 
hope that every officer and private will exert his utmost endeavors to aid 
the General in overwhelming the enemy. 

Whether General Grant intends to advance or is preparing to retreat from 
Chattanooga, he must be defeated either on the south side of tlie Tennessee or 
on his retreat to Nashville. The approaching winter warns both o.rmies 
that their present positions may be their mutual destruction, and the spring 
of 1864 open on the wasted and ruined remnants of both. 

The railroad from " Bridgeport to Jaspar," if not as unreal and unsub- 
stantial as the taking of Lookout Mountain by the enemy, may solve the 
difficulty of Grant remaining in Chattanooga for the winter. 

Thus, from the contradictory and unreconcilable reports of move- 
ments, it is impossible to ascertain any thing definite and certain as re- 
gards the situation at Chattanooga. Our readers must exercise patience 
and hope for the best.* 

General Grant had, however, no intention of retreating. 

About this time the rebel President paid a visit to 
Brad's army, to ascertain the true condition of affairs, 
ana it is reported that the following scene occurred on the 
summit of Lookout Moutain : 

Looking down one bright day from the lofty eminence 
commanding a clear view into four States, and a very dis- 
tant view into a fifth, Davis saw Grant's army almost be- 
neath his feet, across the valley, working like beavers on 
their fortifications. 

" I have them now," said he, " in just the trap I set for 
them." 

* Richmond Enquirer, November 6th, 18G3. 
16* 



370 * GENERAL GRANT 

To which Lieutenant-Goneral Pemberton, who was sit- 
ting on horseback beside him, replied, w ' Mr. Davis, you 
are Commander-in-Chief, and you are here. You think 
the enemy are in a trap, and can be captured by vigorous 
assault. I have been blamed for not having ordered a 
general attack on the enemy when they were drawing 
around me their lines of circumvallation at Vicksburg. Do 
you now order an attack upon those troops down there be- 
low us, and I will set you my life that not one G — d d — d 
man of the attacking column will ever come back across 
that valley, except as a prisoner." 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 



371 



CHAPTER XL VIII. 

longstreet's advance upon knoxville. 

The brilliant success of these operations relieved Chat 
tanooga of the prospective danger of starvation, and Gene- 
ral Grant found time to prepare for his movements upon 
the enemy in his front. Stores of all kinds began to make 
their way into storehouse, and daily parades and drills 
took place in front of the works, within view of the rebel 
pickets and sentries. Every thing had settled down into 
its quiet routine, and even the generals appeared at their 
ease. A private letter from a resident of Chattanooga 
had the following paragraph descriptive of this serenity : 



General Grant, who has almost recovered his strength, occupies a de- 
lightful Chattanooga residence, and, with his briarwood pipe, walks to and 
fro up the streets of the town, unattended, many times unobserved, bat at aU 
times observing. Quartermaster- General Meigs has taken to a wall tent, 
from a regard for the fitness of things. His head-quarters are in the 
field, and soldiers in the field inhabit tents. Generals Thomas and Gordon 
Granger are workers, and are preparing their grand machine for tha 
next campaign, their consultations often extending far into the night. 

But in the midst of this quiet lay a slumbering volcano. 

General Grant had determined he would have no ene- 
mies around him to report his movements to the rebels or 
to interfere with his plans ; therefore, previous to his 
making any advance upon the rebel positions, he issued 
the following order: 



872 GENERAL GRANT 

Head-Quarters, Military Division of the Mississippi, ) 
In the Field, Chattanooga, Tenn., Nov. 5, 18G3. \ 
[General Orders, No. 4.] 

The habit of raiding parties of rebel cavalry visiting towns, villages, 
and farms where there are no Federal forces, and pillaging Union fami- 
lies, having become prevalent, department commanders will take im- 
mediate steps to stop the evil, or make the loss by such raids fall upon 
secessionists and secession sympathizers in the neighborhood where 
such acts are committed. For every act of violence to the person of an 
unarmed Union citizen, a secessionist will be arrested and lield as hostage 
for the delivery of the offender. For every dollar's worth of property 
taken from such citizens, or destroyed by raiders, an assessment will 
be made upon secessionists of the neighborhood, and collected by the 
nearest military forces, under the supervision of the commander thereof, 
and the amount thus collected paid over to the sufferers. When such 
assessments cannot be collected in money, property useful to the 
government may be taken at a fair valuation, and the amount paid in 
money by a disbursing officer of the government, who will take such 
property upon his returns. "Wealthy secession citizens will be assessed 
in money and provisions for the support of Union refugees who have 
been and may be driven from their homes and into our lines by the acts 
of those with whom secession citizens are in sympathy. All collections 
and payments under this order will be through disbursing officers of the 
government, whose accounts must show all money and property received 
under it, and how disposed of. 

By order of Major-General U. S. Grant. 

T. S. Bowers, A. A.-G. 

This order he carried out to the letter when the oppor- 
tunity offered. 

About the middle of November the head of Genei-al Sher- 
man's column arrived at Chattanooga and formed a junc- 
tion with the forces under General Thomas, on the right 
of the main army. 

Shortly before the time that General Sherman joined Gene- 
ral Grant, the rebel General Longstreet made several at- 
tempts to flank the Union position several miles to the east- 
ward of Chattanooga, with the intention of advancing into 
Tennessee and capturing Knoxville. The advanced forces of 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 3*73 

the Army of Eastern Tennessee had heretofore resisted Long- 
street's movement at the crossing of the Little Tennessee 
River ; but after General Burnside had communicated with 
General Grant, Longstreet was allowed to advance upon 
Knoxville, the Union troops impeding his march as much 
as possible, and drawing him on with a show of resistance. 
The feint was well planned and finely carried out. 

On the 14th of Novernber,General Longstreet, after cross- 
ing the Little Tennessee River, was attacked by a force 
of General Burnside's Union troops, who drove the rebel 
advance guard back upon their reserves, which were sta- 
tioned at about a mile north of the river bank. The Union 
troops then retreated, while the rebels crossed their whole 
force and moved toward Marysville. The Unionists then 
fell back upon Lenoir, as if to hold the railroad at that 
place. Three times the rebels assaulted that position on 
November 15th without success; but the next morning 
the Union troops evacuated it and retreated to Campbell's 
Station. Here they again made a stand, and a fight ensued 
lasting from before noon until dark. This detention of 
the rebels enabled the Unionists to secure their trains, which 
they sent within the defences of Knoxville. The Union 
troops once more fell back, stopped and repeated their 
resistance to the enemy, and after a fight again retreated in 
good order, until, on the 19th of November, Longstreet's 
rebel forces were before the city of Knoxville, which they 
began to invest — the Union troops being all safely within 
the defences. 

General Grant was duly advised of the position of affiiirs, 
and with his " we have them now where we want them," 
he prepared to move on the enemy's works. 

A plan had been made, by the commanding General, to 
raise the siege of Chattanooga and get possession of Look- 
out Mountain. This plan was submitted to his general 



374 GENERAL GRANT 

officers by the General himself, and finally adopted. An 
examination of the enemy's line showed clearly that he had 
deliberately exposed himself to great danger. He had al- 
lowed a large portion of his ai*my to go into East Tennes- 
see, and he extended the remainder of his forces into lines 
almost as thin as a spider's thread. His exterior line upon 
Mission Ridge was something near seven miles in extent, 
while his inner lines of rifle pits and similar defences run- 
ning through the valleys were not less than five miles long. 
There were upon the line two points of importance to him ; 
the first, Missionary Ridge, being the key to his position, 
and Lookout Mountain, an elevation valuable to Bragg as a 
barrier to the purposes of the Union troops. It was sup- 
posed the enemy would defend the former with vigor, as 
the latter could be held by a small force. General Grant 
was of the opinion, that by attacking his flanks vigorously, 
in order to force him to keep his line lengthened, and 
thus weakened, it would afford the Union troops a favor- 
able opjDortunity to test the strength of the centre. It 
was therefore decided that General Sherman, with three 
divisions of his own army, and General Davis, of Palmer's 
Corps, should move north of the river, to a point oppo- 
site the mouth of the Chickamauga, and at an early hour 
on the following morning throw a pontoon bridge across 
the Tennessee, and, under cover of artillery, cross and 
carry the heights of Missionary Ridge as far, at least, as 
Tunnel Hill. On the left rebel flank, General Hooker was to 
operate with three divisions, his primary object being to hold 
the rebels there, but authorized, in case of an opportunity 
presenting itself, to take posession of Lookout Mountain. In 
the centre, General Thomas was ordered to hold Granger 
and Palmer's Corps well in hand, to await an opportunity to 
strike at the centre, whenever in the opinion of General Grant 
the auspicious moment presented itself. General 0. 0. How- 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 3 1 5 

ard's Corps was to be moved to the north side of the river, 
so as to aid either Sherman or the centre. But subsequently, 
at the suggestion of General Thomas, Howard was crossed 
into Chattanooga, and held as a movable column in reserve. 
Such was the general plan of operations, subject, of course, 
to such modifications as the movements of the enemy might 
necessitate. 

This plan was to have been put in execution on Saturday, 
November 21st, almost immediately after General Grant 
had ascertained that Longstreet was before Knoxville ; but 
General Sherman failed to get into position on Friday, his 
delay being caused by heavy rains and the partial destruc- 
tion of the pontoon bridges by rafts floated down the river 
by the rebels. Indeed, he was prevented from getting up 
until the night of Monday, and only reported himself ready 
for his work on Tuesday morning. On Monday, however, 
a trivial circumstance brought about a development of 
interest, and which, without changing the plan in the least, 
rather advanced it and increased the chances of success. 



376 GENERAL GRANT 



CHAPTER XLLX. 

THE BATTLES BEFORE CHATTANOOGA. FIRST DAT. 

Shortly before noon on the morning of Monday, No- 
vember 23d, 1863, the order for the preliminary advance of 
General Grant's forces was promulgated at head-quarters, 
and the troops advanced as if on parade. The rebels pass- 
ively watched the movements of the Union forces under the 
impression that they were engaged in a review, and they 
were not undeceived until it was too late to remedy the 
evil. The battles occupied several days and resulted in a 
complete victory for the Union forces. 

The details of this important contest are thus given by 
one who witnessed the whole action : 

Reports had come in during the morning of Monday that the enemy 
was evacuating the ridge in our front. On examination it was found that 
they were engaged in some kind of movement, and about noon General 
Thomas determined upon a reconnoissance to learn the meaning of his 
manoeuvres, and also for developing his right, it being a matter of con- 
siderable interest, in view of Sherman's movements, to know how 
strongly Bragg was posted on the ridge about the tunnel. General 
Wood's Division was selected to make the reconnoissance, and at one 
o'clock he had moved his three brigades into line in an open field east oJ 
the city, and immediately under the siege guns of Fort Wood. General 
Howard's Corps having crossed the river from Lookout Valley, deployed 
into line as a reserve, while General Sheridan, of Granger's Corps, and 
the troops of the Fourteenth Corps, General Palmer, were drawn up in 
line in case of a necessity arising for them. General Palmer also 
showed himself threateningly down the valley of Chattanooga Creek, 
making his advance well beyond Dobb's house. Wood's route, as 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS 377 

chosen, was to be to the left of the road to Blackford's bouse on Mis- 
sion Ridge ; but the force headed for two prominent hills a little to the 
north of this road, and the right hardly rested on the Blackford road 
•when the day was over. 

I have mentioned two prominent peaks or hills in Wood's front. 
These are exactly one mile from Fort Wood, and lie west of Citico Creek, 
a little stream running between this small ridge and Mission Ridge. 
The principal of these peaks is called by the citizens "Orchard Knob," 
and the rebels had used it as a redoubt in their outer line. The ap- 
proach to it was down and across an open slope from Fort Wood and 
then across a heavily-wooded plain. General Wood began his move- 
ment down this slope, and across this plain at half-past one p. m. At 
the moment Wood began to move, General Granger ordered the siege 
guns in Fort Wood to open on the enemy's first position, ana immedi- 
ately the black monsters bellowed a hoarse challenge to the enemy 
who now began to appear en Missionary Ridge in quite a strong force, 
as also in the valley below and toward us. Wood moved forward in 
admirable style, his skirmishers driving in the strong picket line of the 
enemy with ease. Through the open field the line moved unwaver- 
ingly, and not with undue haste, as if seeking to gain the cover of the 
woods in their front, but in the style of veterans proud of their leader; 
and, knowing that from theramparts of Fort Wood they were watched by 
Generals Grant, Tliomas, Granger, and Howard, each seemed to feel that 
he was part of a scene which, even in this warlike age, has been seldom 
witnessed. There was no straggling. There were none who seemed so 
poor and spiritless as to straggle in the presence of men who had led at 
Vicksburg and Chiekamauga, or of troops that had stood at Gettysburg. 
So, when they disappeared in the woods at the bottom of the hill, and 
their position became revealed only by the smoke of battle, which rose 
above the tree tops and drifted away toward Mission Ridge, a general 
buzz of admiration went up from the spectators in the fort, and extended 
to the more distinguished heroes of Vicksburg and Chiekamauga. On 
entering the woods the advancing line became quite warmly engaged, 
and at a quarter of two o'clock a very brisk musketry fire enveloped tho 
whole of Wood's front. The enemy was found posted behind rather 
rude but good rifle-pits, and in strong force. But, though they got in 
upon Wood a heavy and quite destructive fire, # it did not for a moment 
halt him. On reaching the foot of Orchard Knob he ordered a charge, 
and with a cheer the men went at it, pushed up the Knob in admirablo 
order, while the rest took the rifle-pits, driving the enemy out in confusion* 



378 GENERAL GRANT 

and securing one hundred and fifty men and nine officers of an Alabama 
regiment. Another force gallantly assaulted aud carried the ridge to 
the right of Orchard Knob, driving the rebels from their pits on the 
summit. 

Although now far advanced toward the enemy's fine of works on the 
ridge, General Wood found his flanks entirely unmolested. He discov- 
ered the position taken to be a very strong one, easily held, in short 
cannon range of the enemy's camps along Citico Creek, and within reach 
of the heavy line established by them on the summit of Mission Ridge ; 
and finding, after some time, that the enemy remained quiet, Wood re- 
ported the fact to General Granger, who, on orders from General 
Thomas, instructed Wood to intrench himself, and at the same time sent 
word he would protect his flanks. 

In order to support W r ood in this situation, General Thomas ordered 
General Howard, with his two divisions, to move from his position as 
reserve behind Wood, and to go into line on Citico Creek, closing his 
right well upon Wood's left, and retiring the left of the corps. He got 
into position without much fighting, other than some pretty heavy skir- 
mishing with a small force of rebels in a second line of rifle-pits beyond 
Citico Creek. Approaching these pits in front, General Howard found 
their occupants prepared, and disposed to make a strong resistance. In 
order to avoid a bloody affair, General Granger sent a brigade, of 
Wood's Division, hitherto in reserve, through some woods to the right 
of the rebel works. The enemy, finding himself thus flanked, and at 
the same time heavily pressed by Howard, hastily fled to the stronger 
position at the foot of the mountain. 

Simultaneously with Howard's movement General Sheridan's Division 
■■-Granger's Corps — was moved forward to support Wood's right, and 
went into position in echelon on the left without any fighting. The 
enemy, finding that our men were intrenching themselves on Orchard 
Knob, began about five o'clock a vigorous shelling of that point. Al- 
though this was kept up from three batteries until darkness had set in, 
no damage was done. 

During the night the position taken by Wood and the forces which 
came up to support him, right and left, was materially strengthened by 
building rough rifle-pits a few yards in front of those of the rebels 
which had been taken. A battery was moved forward from Fort Wood 
and posted on Orchard Knob, where it remained during the rest of the 
operations. There may have been other batteries on the front line at 
this time, but if so I did not see them. I may as well mention here 



AXP HIS CAMPAIGNS. 



l YD 



that the heavy guns of Fort "Wood took part in the throe days' opera- 
tions, throwing heavy shells upon Mission Ridge with great accuracy. 

General Palmer moved during the night a portion of his corps to the 
left of his position during the day, and stood ready at dawn to continue 
his demonstrations down Chattanooga Valley, or to aid tlie left centre, 
under Granger, in an assault on the ridge. No dispositon appeared on 
Palmer's part to force a pathway down the valley, as this would have 
broken the rebel line to no purpose, as they could well afford to retire 
from the valley entirely in order to hold Mission Ridge. The aim of Gen- 
eral Grant appears to have been to weaken the rebel centre on Mission 
Ridge, in order that he might at once take the ridge and break their 
army in two. 

Night found the situation very slightly altered, save in the centre, 
where we had assumed a strong position and threatening attitude. But 
the rebels did not appear to be much troubled at this. They rather 
apprehended the movement of Sherman, which it was evident they had 
suspected. During the last hours of the afternoon it was seen from 
Orchard Knob that a long column of rebels was moving to the north, and 
disappearing about the more formidable hills at the tunnel or north end 
of Mission Ridge. It was evident that Bragg had an inkling of Sherman's 
purpose to cross on the ensuing morning at the mouth of the creek, and 
was massing against him; but whether to oppose his crossing or to hold 
the hill remained at that time a matter of doubt. The enemy in front 
of Wood allowed that enterprising officer to rest in peace during the 
night.* 



Army Correspondence. 



380 



GENERAL GRANT 



CHAPTER L. 



THE SECOND DAY. — LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN. 

The second day's operations are thus described by a 
correspondent with the army: 

Tuesday morning, November 24th, was gloomy, threatening rain, and 
until quite late our forces remained iuactive. On the centra Granger's 
and Palmer's Corps maintained the silence of the night ju"t past, and 
only a few gnus from Fort Wood disturbed the rebel centre. The day 
was chosen for operations ou the flanks, and for that purporo Hooker 
and Sherman began to move quite early. 

It will be remembered that General Howard's Corps (the Eleventh) 
had crossed the river and gone into camp in Chattanooga on Sunday. 
On Morday he was held in reserve, and went in late in the day to sup- 
port General "Wood's left. On Tuesday morning his corps was selected 
by General Grant to open communications by the east side of the Ten- 
nessee River with General Sherman. It was about ten o'clock v hen one 
of his divisions crossed Citico Creek, near its mouth, and began pushing 
northward in search of General Sherman. Finding the centre destined 
to remain quiet, I pushed towards the left, and found General Howard. 
The whole of the valley between Mission Ridge and the Tennessee River, 
and between Citico and Chickamauga Creeks, is one vast corn-field. 
Through this lay the course of General Howard. 

Learning that General Sherman's position was not over two m'les and 
a half distant, General Howard sent one of his staff on the dangerous 
mission of trying to find General Sherman alone. The skirmishers were 
thrown forward until the line became dangerously extended, ard none 
of General Sherman's troops were found. The staff officer departed on 
his mission of danger; but by keeping close to the river succeeded in 
crossing and recrossing the gap without being captured. General 
Howard, on receiving his report, ordered the division to push further to 
the left, and started out to seek General Sherman. I pursued the samo 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 



381 



route and soon found General Sherman's troops, and was standing on 
tho unfinished pontoon bridge which General Sherman was building, 
when General Howard came up. The last boat of the bridge was being 
placed in the centre of the stream as General Howard arrived, and intro- 
duced himself across the slight gulf between the two. At the moment 
• of its occurrence this was a meeting of considerable interest to me, but 
coming to write about it I find I cannot get up the same amount of en- 
thusiasm that I then felt at the reflection of these two men, representing 
the extreme armies of the country, meeting thus upon the same field. 
Sherman, on the north end of the bridge, dressed loosely, with a worn 
gum overcoat thrown around him, was directing the completion of tho 
bridge ; and, as soon as the boat was put in, sprang over and shook the 
baud of the princely Howard. It was exactly at noon. 

I found on inquiry that General Sherman had at an early hour thrown a 
portion of one of his divisions across the river, under the protection of a 
battery, and subsequently the other divisions, the greater portion being 
crossed by the steamer Dunbar, which, captured two months ago, at 
Chattanooga, had been repaired, and was now serving good and loyal 
purposes. Immediately on arriving he had thrown up strong rifle-pits 
in two lines, covering the approach to the bridge and adding much 
strength to a naturally strong position. The troops of his corps at the 
hour of noon held these works and were waiting for a division of the 
Fourteenth Corps, to cross the river and take up position in the works. 
This division had been sent General Sherman in place of Ostorhaus, 
who was acting with General Hooker, and was now being used by 
Sherman as a reserve. 

This division crossed the river, and went into line within the works 
about an hour after the meeting between Howard and Sherman. At 
the same moment General Sherman gave his orders to prepare for an 
attack. By this hour, one o'clock p. M., the drizzly rain, which had 
been threatening us, began to fall, and the object of the assault was 
soon hid from view. General Sherman stood on a prominent hill to 
the left of the pontoon bridge, and having succeeded, with the aid of 
two orderlies, and in despite of the rain, in lighting a cigar, stood puf- 
fing away at one end, chewing at the other, and observing all that could 
be seen in the country before him. Around him were gathered at this 
time Generals Frank Blair, Morgan L. Smith, Ewing, John YV. Corse, 
and Howard. The troops of the several divisions were encamped just 
in front of him, while on the left and rear Davis's artillery was thun- 
dering over the bridge. In a very quiet tone Sherman gave his orders 



382 



GENERAL GRANT 



to form for the assault, remarking that the enemy was reported heavy 
in his front. The formation as ordered, was echelon on the left, Gene- 
ral Morgan L. Smith's Division being the left, John E. Smith the centre, 
and Ewing the right. The left was to keep well towards Chickamauga 
Creek, "and," added Sherman, "I want you to keep up the formation, 
400 yards distance, until you get to the foot of the hill." 

" And shall we keep it after that ?" asked Ewing. 

"You may go up the hill," answered Sherman, "if you like, and 
can." 

General Davis having got into position, and the troops having been 
arranged as ordered, General Sherman gave the orders to move to the 
assault. They were couched in very common terms, but which ought 
to be preserved : "I see Davis is up. I guess you may as well go on, 
and take the hill." In a few moments after the three columns were 
moving. 

Soldiers are very different beings under the two different circum- 
stances of receiving and making an attack. In the first case they are 
seldom or never composed, cool, and quiet. Put men behind breast- 
works to receive an assault, and the delay in the attack creates anxiety, 
which develops into mental excitement, which finds vent in noise and a 
certain restlessness of person. Going to the assault they are different 
beings. I watched carefully the columns, as they moved out to the as- 
sault on Tuesday, each believing that the next step brought his ad- 
vance against that of the enemy. The silence was painfully noticeable. 
A command given at one end of the corps, could be distinctly heard at 
the other. The men looked serious, and rather gruff, and were pain- 
fully quiet. They conversed with each other but seldom, and then in 
under tones. All appeared anxious to preserve their weapons from the 
rain. They moved in perfect order. But though one might fail to no- 
tice this, the most casual student of human nature could hardly fail to 
observe how serious those men were. And he would know, too, that it 
was not the rain which dampened their spirits. Ever and anon they 
would glance at the hill which they were approaching, and it was easy to 
see why they looked serious. Perhaps they compared the hills, in their 
own minds, to the Walnut Hills of Vicksburg ; but I do not think there 
was one man there who feared to test the question of victory or defeat 
there and then. 

But it was not destined that Tuesday should witness a conflict for 
these hills. General Sherman had anticipated skirmishing before 
reaching the foot of the mountain, it having been reported by citizens 



A5TD HIS CAMPAIGNS. 



583 



that the enemy held the position in strong force. But the foot of th« 
hill was reached, after short delay, without any nerious skirmishing, 
only a few shells, from Tunnel Hill, passed over our heads, and ex- 
ploded among the colored pioneers, who followed in the rear, doing no 
damage, but causing the negroes to lose all respect for orders to " close 
up." 

The enemy made no opposition to the occupation of the extreme end 
of the ridge. General Sherman was in possession of this at about four 
o'clock p. M. It then appeared that the hills occupied were separated 
from Mission Ridge by a narrow valley, through which the railroad 
runs. 

The hills occupied by Sherman were three in number, and semicircu- 
lar in shape, bending around and north of the end of Mission Ridge. 
The end of the ridge is generally and very properly called Tunnel Hill. 
It overlooks and commands the hills of which General Sherman found 
himself in peaceable possession ; and on examination he found that the 
labor still remained to be done. A close inspection of the ground and 
the enemy's position determined Sherman to occupy the semicircular 
ridge with his centre and right, and throw his left still further to the 
left and in the region of Myer's mill. The division moved promptly to 
this position and took possession of the valley from the foot of the hills 
to Chickamauga River, securing at the time about one hundred rebels 
engaged in building rafts of fallen timber with which to destroy our 
pontoon bridges. 

An examination of the enemy's position revealed him on the top and 
at the foot of the next hill — Tunnel Hill. On the summit he was en- 
gaged in strengthening a large bastion-shaped work (Fort Buckner), and 
was working with great vigor and a large force, a3 if the fort had not 
been previously completed. At the foot of the mountain and near the 
west end of the tunnel a force of about one brigade occupied and held 
the heavy railroad bank. 

General Sherman ordered the erection of defences on the ridge he 
had occupied, and finding he did not propose to push further during the 
little of daylight left him, I left his corps and proceeded to join that of 
General Hooker, which had been engaged all day. 

In order to carry out the proposed plan, and to keep the enemy's 
lines as much extended as possible, it was necessary that Hooker and Sher- 
man should attack the lines simultaneously. General Hooker's task was 
to assault Lookout Mountain, and in the event of finding a weak force 
holding it, or the failure of the enemy to weaken the rest of their line 



384 GENERAL GRANT 

in order to hold the mountain, to take possession of it. It was thought 
that as Tunnel Hill was of vast importance to the rebels, and Lookout of 
the same value to us, that they would strongly defend both. General 
Hooker had only one division of Slocum's Corps to make the assault 
with, but was re-enforced before the attack was made by a division of 
Sherman's Corps, and two brigades of the Fourth Corps. 

The rebels occupied the west side or slope of Lookout Mountain in 
very strong force, and also the front or spur of the mountain. It must 
also be remembered that it is not a regular slope from the summit of 
Lookout to the foot, but that the first twenty-five or thirty feet of the 
descent is perpendicular rocks, or what is generally understood to be 
meant by " palisades." These are very high and grand, and there are 
but two routes by which they can be overcome. One of these is a gap 
twenty miles south of the river, and was held by the rebels. The 
other is by the road to Summertown, which is laid down upon the map. 
It winds up the east side of the mountain, ascending the palisades by a 
Bteep declivity and a narrow road. General Hooker's plan of operation 
was to get possession of this road. To do so was to gain possession of 
the mountain. 

He began his operations early on the morning of Tuesday, and by 
eight o'clock his column was moving up Lookout Valley, and to the 
surprise of the enemy on the poiDt of the mountain, it disappeared in 
the forest south of Wauchatchia. But here, filing his troops to the left, 
General Hooker began the difficult task of the ascent of the mountain ; 
but meeting with no opposition he was enabled to do this in a short time. 
The head of the column having reached the palisades went into line 
of battle facing to the north, and with the right resting against the 
palisades, stretched down the mountain slope. 

General Hooker then formed a second line of the two brigades of the 
Fourth Corps, which had been sent him, the remaining division forming 
a third line, and held in readiness to aid any part of the hue which might 
need it. Thus arranged, the corps was ordered forward, with a heavy 
fine of skirmishers thrown out, and, marching along the slope of the 
ridge, soon came upon the rear of the enemy, who, unsuspecting such a 
movement so absolutely opposed to all the military rules by which 
Bragg fights, were taken completely by surprise. Before those at the 
foot of the hill could comprehend the situation, the Union skirmishers 
had penetrated far towards the point of the mountain, and now got in a 
heavy fire upon the enemy, who were trying to escape up the hill, whilo 
our men assaulted them from above — a most complete reverse to the lato 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 



385 



situation. At the same time our batteries on Moccasin Point and those 
of the rebels on Lookout Mountain opened a heavy fire upon each other, 
and soon the whole mountain was hid from view in Chattanooga by the 
cloud of smoke which rose above and around it. 

Thus taken in rear and flank, the enemy made but lit'le organized re- 
sistance, but their skirmishers for a long time kept up p heavy fire from 
behind jutting rocks and from trees. They, however, were forced back 
by the heavy skirmish line under General Hooker, and the enemy on the 
point of the mountain gradually gave way, and fell back in some disor- 
der 10 the line of breastworks on the east slope of the mountain, at Car- 
lin's house. The Union troops then swung around until his line was 
parallel with that of the enemy, and again advanced; but, met by organ- 
ized and well directed resistance, for a time recoiled and hesitated. 

It was now that the fruits of the strange movement of Hooker began 
to develop themselves. The Union line had moved around the spur of 
the mountain and on the east side with such rapidity that the enemy 
stationed at the foot of the hill and along the river had no time to escape, 
and our troops began to secure them by hundreds. Every jutting rock, 
every thicket of undergrowth, and many a hollow tree, on examination, 
disclosed their secrets in the shape of prisoners. Each regiment en- 
gaged seemed to have secured enough to have filled their ranks, and the 
provost-marshal, who appeared to take charge of them, soon found his 
hands full. The number thus captured, General Hooker estimated on the 
spot at two thousand, but on counting them it was found the exact num- 
ber secured was only one thousand three hundred and sixty. They rep- 
resented themselves to be from Stevenson's Division, and it was soon 
discovered that they were the unexchanged prisoners taken by Grant at 
Vicksburg. I have talked with several of these men since, and I have 
no doubt in my own mind that they conscientiously believed that they 
had been exchanged. Certain it is that it had been so represented to 
these men, and officers and men with whom I have conversed freely on 
the subject, express great indignation at their own government and 
terror of ours. I attempted to convince these men that though our 
government would hold all officers who had been guilty or cognizant of 
this outrage to a strict accountability to the laws of nations on the sub- 
ject, it would at the same time be too merciful to punish those who had 
already been victims to the deceptions of their friends. This was con- 
solation to the men, who wore terribly frightened at the prospect of punish- 
ment ; but the more intelligent of the officers seemed to fear very little 
the power of the government to punish them. 

17 



386 



GENERAL GRANT 



An examination of the enemy's position revealed him hehind very 
heavy and strong breastworks running diagonally across a large open 
field, of which Carlin's house is the centre. The works were very strong, 
and deep rifle-pits, and posted behind them, to the right of Carlin's 
house, were two pieces of light artillery. The enemy had not yet open- 
ed with these, but was preparing to do so as soon as our line should 
appear out of the woods and advancing across this open field. General 
Hooker, after a close examination of this position, made a new disposition 
of his force and began a systematic assault upon the works. Every 
advantage was now with the enemy, and, with re-enforcements to the 
extent of his losses in prisoners, he could have held the mountain against 
General Hooker's combined force. But the re-enforcements were not 
forthcoming. The weakened enemy had to contract his fine to the 
works immediately across the field, and in doing so left his right flank 
exposed. 

Now began the heavy struggle of the day. Sending two regiments 
to hold the road which crosses the spur of the mountain from the east, 
he advanced the rest of his forces to the front line. An advance was 
immediately ordered, and for an hour and a half (it was now two o'clock 
p. M.) a very heavy sharpshooters' fight was kept up. I cannot expect 
to give any clear idea of this engagement. It was no place to manoeuvre 
columns. Each man and company fought upon his and its " own hook." 
From Chattanooga nothing was visible save the misty smoke which en- 
veloped and hid the mountain. But beneath this the combatants saw 
each other, and here they continued to fight with desperation until 
four o'clock, when there came a tide in Hooker's fortune which he did 
not fail to take at the flood. 

The skirmish line was enabled, under cover of the trees which grew 
along that part of the ridge, to advance much nearer the rebel line than 
those in the immediate front of the enemy and the open field. It was 
also upon the flank of the position ; and the weakness of the enemy 
having compelled him to contract his left, a lodgment was found very 
near their rifle-pits. General Hooker, upon being informed of this, at 
four o'clock ordered a charge of the line, and through a heavy and rapid 
fire, kept up for five long minutes — and minutes are sometimes very long 
— the men dashed forward upon, over, and into the abandoned pits. The 
enemy had seen the long line of steel that glittered even amid the rain 
which was pouring upon them, and they couldn't stand that. They also 
saw troops upon their left flank, and, filled with that holy horror which 
Did soldiers have for "flank movements," they couldn't stand that 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 



38^ 



They fell back, abandoning works, artillery, and position, but still holding 
the important Summertown road. 

But the enemy, though flanked and overpowered, did not appear 
disposed to leave us in quiet possession of his works and guns. He 
hastily reformed his lines and prepared to assault iu turn. The Union- 
ists had hardly occupied the captured position, or been able to remove 
the captured guns, before the enemy returned to the attack. He pressed 
forward with great vigor and gained ground very rapidly at first, but 
found in his way the same obstacle of the open field, while he did not 
have the advantage of superior numbers. As soon as it came to closo 
work, his rapidly advancing lines were halted very suddenly by the 
terrible fire which was now poured in upon him. He continued, how- 
ever, to fire rapidly, and with some execution upon our line, but would 
have been ultimately repulsed without other assistance, had not a very 
serious obstacle presented itself. 

Men in line of battle very soon expend their ammunition. In a skir- 
mishing engagement, like that they were then having, they dispose of it 
even more rapidly. "We were nearly out of ammunition, and the command- 
ing officer had serious fears he would have to relinquish possession of the 
works if his cartridge-boxes were not soon replenished. General Hooker, 
anticipating this, had sent for ammunition at an early hour after getting 
possession of the road across the spur of the mountain ; but the difficulties 
of the uncertain pontoon bridges had prevented his getting any. He again 
asked for it, and this time it came, and at the opportune moment. The men 
were beginning to fall out of line occasionally, entirely out of ammunition ; 
for when a man puts his hand behind him and into his cartridge-box, to 
find no cartridges there, a good deal of his confidence, if not courage, oozes 
out at the ends of his fingers, with which he thought 10 grasp the death- 
dealing messenger. The line was beginning to be thinned by men who 
had fired their sixty rounds, when the ammunition which General 
Thomas had sent sprang across Chattanooga Creek. The enemy had 
begun to perceive his advantage and to push forward, when this ammu- 
nition marched up the hill. The enemy had even ventured upon a shout 
of assured victory, when this ammunition deployed into line and double- 
quicked across the open field, and sprang into the vacated places 
There were one hundred and twenty thousand rounds of it, strapped upon 
the backs of as good men as had stayed with Thomas at Chickamauga, 
and in ten minutes after it reached the works it had repulsed the enemy I 
The re-enforcements which so opportunely arrived consisted of a brigade 
of the Fourteonth Corps, and upon it devolved the remainder of the labor 



38S 



GENERAL GKAKT 



of the day. It was dark by the time the enemy were repulsed, and those 
who stayed in Chattanooga describe this fight as the most magnificent 
view of the grand panorama of war which we have just witnessed. It 
was just beginning to be dark enough to see the flash of the muskets, 
and still light enough to distinguish the general outline of the contend- 
ing masses. The mountain was lit up by the fires of the men in the 
second line, and the flash of muskelry and artillery. An unearthly noiso 
rose from the mountain as if the old monster was groaning with the 
punishment the pigmy combatants inflicted upon him as well as upon 
each other. And during it all, the great guns on the summit continued, 
as in rage, to bellow defiance at the smaller guns of Moccasin Point, 
which, with lighter tone, and more rapidly, as if mocking the imbecility 
of its giant enemy, continued to fire till the day roared itself into dark- 
ness. 

The enemy fell back after his repulse to a point covering the Summer- 
town ascent to the summit of the mountain, and for the remainder of 
the night confined himself to the defence of that defile and to the evac- 
uation of the mountain. 

Subsequently, about midnight, the enemy, to cover his retreat, made 
an assault upon the Union lines, but though they did some execution 
they were handsomely repulsed. 

General Hooker made a great reputation by this attack with the men 
of the Army of the Cumberland. As his lines would advance after 
night, the men could see his fires springing up and locating his new 
line. As each line became developed by these fires, those on the moun- 
tain could plainly distinguish the cheers of their comrades below. One 
of the expressions used by a private who was watching the fires from 
Orchard Knob has already grown into the dignity of a camp proverb. 
On seeing the line of camp fires advanced to Carlin's house and beyond 
the rifle-pits of the enemy, a soldier in General Wood's command sprang 
up from his reclining position on Orchard Knob, and exclaimed : 
" Look at old Hooker 1 Don't he fight for ' keeps ? ' " 

The sequel of the fight — the morning's handsome epilogue to the 
night's drama — is already known. Hooker found the enemy gone, and 
the assault of Lookout Mountain had not been in vain. 

The following is General Grant's modest dispatch with 
regard to the operations of the second day : 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 



389 



Chattanooga, Nov. 24 — G p. m. 
Major General H. W. Halleck, General-in-Chief, Washington, D. C. :— 

The fighting to-day progressed favorably. 

General Sherman carried the end of Missionary Ridge, and his right 
is now at the tunnel, and his left at Chickamauga Creek. 

The troops from Lookout Valley carried the point of the mountain, 
and now hold the eastern slope and point high up. 

I cannot yet tell the amount of casualties, but our loss is not heavy. 

General Hooker reports two thousand prisoners taken, besides which 
a small number have fallen into our hands from Missionary Ridge. 

U. S. Grant, Major- General. 

In the above dispatch General Grant says nothing about 
himself, or in what manner he had participated in the 
struggle, although from the correspondent's account it is 
clearly seen, that notwithstanding his crippled condition 
he anxiously watched the movements of the troops at a 
position within cannon shot of the enemy. 

The following is the rebel dispatch concerning the con- 
test : 

Mission Ridge, Nov.' 24, 1863. 

To General S. Cooper: 

We have had a prolonged struggle for Lookout Mountain to-day, and 
sustained considerable loss in one division. Elsewhere the enemy has 
only manoeuvred for position. 

Braxton Bragg, General 



390 GENERAL GRANT 



CHAPTER LI. 

THIRD DAT. TUNNEL HILL. MISSION RIDGE. 

The battle raged as furiously on the third day as on those 
preceding, and is thus described : 

General Hooker pursued the retreating enemy on top of the moun- 
tains, but did not succeed in coming up with him. He descended the 
mountain, however, at Hickajack trace, and, crossing the Chattanooga 
Creek Valley, made the ascent of Mission Ridge at or near he old battle 
field of Chickamauga. Here he was to the south of Rossville and in the 
rear of the rebel line in Chattanooga Valley, entirely cut off from the 
rest of our army, but perfectly able to take care of himself. He began 
to move north on top of Mission Ridge, and arrived at an opportune 
moment in the rear of Fort Breckinridge. 

Weary with watching Hooker the night previous, it was late before I 
reached Orchard Knob on the morning of Wednesday. At the first 
glance I thought the situation here unchanged ; but upon a closer ex- 
amination I saw that the mask of night had been used to cover very ex- 
tensive preparations for hard work. The relinquishing of Lookout 
Mountain had evinced the rebel intention to defend Mission Ridge with 
vigor, and in answer to this sensible play of the rebels, General Grant 
had doubled the strength of forces selected to storm the ridge. Wood had 
been chosen to storm the heights at Blackfords. General Grant had 
added to his force that of General Baird. Sheridan had been chosen 
to make the assault at Thurman's house, and a brigade was added to 
his force. General Palmer had taken command of these in person, while 
General Gordon Granger assumed command of the divisions of Wood 
and Baird. Under the cover of the forest in which they rested, these two 
formidable columns were hid from view from Mission Ridge, and there 
were no rebels on Mission Ridge to signalize the important information 
to Bragg, who kept head-quarters at Blackfords. The men were in ex- 
cellent spirits. They had rested well from their Monday's labor, and 
their souls had been cheered by seeing Hooker's camp fires on Lookout 
and Sherman's on Mission Ridge. Daylight had revealed the signa» 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 



391 



flags waving on Lookout, and the artillery of Sherman opening from 
his position on Fort Buckner. General Wood was enjoying himself 
hugely, and called to me to stay and see the finest work of the day ; 
but I had seen General Rawlings, of Grant's staff, dash away a few 
minutes before towards Fort "Wood, and I knew that he had gone to 
fire the signal for the assault, and, putting spurs to the (not) noble ass 
which I had pressed into service in default of a good horse I had bro- 
ken down the day before, I dashed off to see Sherman's fight. 

I found General Howard's Corps moving to the left, taking care to 
expose itself as much as possible to rebel eyesight. The corps subse- 
quently readied General Sherman, and were sent to strengthen his left 
in a movement up Chickamauga Creek. 

On reaching the summit of the semi-circular shaped hills, which 
General Sherman had occupied on Tuesday afternoon, I found he had 
strengthened his position by strong rifle-pits, and had put four pieces of 
artillery on the right of his line, on the hills, and a section on the other 
extreme, thus getting in an enfilading fire on Fort Buckner. I asked 
the distance from the right position to Fort Buckner, and by the eleva- 
tion given to the guns it was reported to be a fraction over 900 yards. 
A short time after my arrival this battery again became rather seriously 
engaged with a rebel battery in Fort Buckner, which was kept up for 
half an hour, to the evident discomfiture of the rebels. With the excep- 
tion of the artillery, the line was as quiet and composed as if in camp, 
or as were three of our high privates, whom I saw sitting in a cluster 
to the left, making entries in their diaries. Three private soldiers, 
under fire, entering in diaries, in plain, legible chirography, the events 
of the day, is a spectacle only seen in the army of the Union. It is one 
of the sights which causes one to reflect, and which will long retain 
hold upon his memory. 

The operations of the day, on General Sherman's part, began by an 
attack on his right upon the enemy posted behind the railroad bank at 
Glass Station. This attack was made at ten o'clock, and resulted in a 
repulse of the assaulting Union troops, after a short fight, so weakly 
made and so early dropped that I imagine it was intended to develop 
the enemy and his strength for the benefit of the artillery on the hill 
which began to pour upon the rebels a very destructive fire of shells, 
which exploded above them in handsome style. The Union commander 
recalled his troops after they had fully drawn the fire of the enemy, and 
awaited further developments on the left. 

I find myself using the pronoun of the egotist rather oftener than is 



392 GENERAL GRANT 

modest, perhaps ; but the history of the first events of the battle must 
necessarily be matters of personal observation — and that must be my 
apology. On going to the left of the ridge I found gathered together 
there Generals Sherman, Blair, M. L. Smith and Lightburn, watching 
the re-enforcement by General Corse's command of three regiments of 
General Lightburn's Brigade, which had succeeded in effecting a lodg- 
ment on Tunnel Hill, and upon which the enemy was still at work on 
Fort Buckner. General Blair pointed out the situation to me, remark- 
ing, " When we take one hill it looks as if there was another to be 
token." But, after a moment's pause and silent observation of Tunnel 
Hill, he added, "When we've got that we'll be done." I don't know 
that General Blair thought we should be repulsed ; but I imagine he 
did when he made that last remark. 

General Corse, with his command, mounted the hill in good style, and 
reached the crest without any difficulty or opposition, as other troops 
had also succeeded in doing ; for you must understand that Fort Buck- 
ner was not built immediately on the edge of the hill. That is, you 
reached the top and the plateau before you got under the fire of the 
fort; but the moment you began to move over the plateau the fire of 
the enemy was likely to open out upon you. General Corse, taking 
command, formed the whole force under the crest of the hill, his own 
immediate command on the right, with the other three regiments on the 
left. It was just eleven o'clock when a tremendous volley from the 
enemy revealed the fact, patent only to good field-glasses, that Corse 
had marched over the crest, was on the plateau, and was charging on 
Fort Buckner. The opening chorus was well worthy to be the prologue 
of the day's drama, for it had all the merit of brevity and briskness. It 
lasted but ten minutes. The men fell back under the crest of the hill, 
but they left their dead and wounded in the enemy's rifle-pits. As 
they retreated our batteries opened upon the pursuing enemy, who ap- 
peared in heavy force. This ably-directed fire covered the retreat so 
well that the enemy were unable to pursue to the crest of the hill. 

This column had hardly fallen back to its position when from the 
right appeared another Union brigade, pushing steadily and rapidly 
across some open fields in a persistent and stronger attack upon 
the railroad bank at this station. The enemy gave him a warm 
reception in front; but one of the Union regiments appearing upon 
their left flank, and our batteries opening on them from their right. 
they failed to stand the assault, and hastily abandoning it fled up the 
hill to the fort. Our men were seen in permanent occupation of the 



and his campaigns. 393 

bank, and from it continued to fire on the retreating rebels until the 
last one found safety behind the mud walls of Fort Buckner. 

While this had been going on, General Corse was re-enforced by a 
portion, perhaps all, of another brigade, and the position vacated by 
him was then filled by the Eleventh Corps of General Howard, which 
about this time double-quicked across the ridge and went into position 
on the left extreme. A second assault was now ordered, and General 
Lightburn, who had been anxiously watching the action, joined the 
portion of his brigade on the hill, and assumed command of the whole 
assaulting column. He ordered the movement to begin immediately, 
and a more desperate and bloody assault than the former was made. 
The combat had no salient point to be described; it was simply a 
steady and slow advance of the whole line to within a few dozen yards 
of the fort, occupying three quarters of an hour, and then a rapid 
retreat to the former position at the crest of the hill, leaving the dead 
and wounded in the hands of the enemy ; and between their outer rifle 
pits and Fort Buckner, Generals Corse and Giles Smith, seriously 
wounded, were carried into the valley in the rear — the one to lose his 
leg, and the other probably to die. Corse and Smith gone, the troops 
were reformed in a new line of battle by Lightburn, and under orders 
the line lay down to rest and await the attack of the enemy should he 
venture to make one. From this time — quarter after twelve, was the 
time wjiich this repulse took place — until half-past one there was a 
pause in Sherman's battle. This he occupied in inditing a message to 
Grant, and in preparing for a more determined assault. The centre of 
the line at Orchard Knob noted the time by rapid and vigorous firing. 
I employed the time by examining the hospitals in rear of the lately 
assaulting party, and I found at the old log hut, which was being used 
as an hospital, and in the side at the foot of the hill, many a brave heart 
that had grown suddenly silent to the praises which comrades were 
murmuring over them. 

On leaving the valley and the hospitals I returned to the point on 
the right of the ridge, where the guns were posted. Here 1 found that 
a Union brigade had, disdaining the protection of the railroad bank, 
rushed forward and was now skirmishing with the enemy for the pos- 
session of an abrupt ledge of rocks, which, outcropping from the hill 
side, afforded a secure position to an attacking column, at a point not 
more than fifty yards from Fort Buckner, which, let it be noticed, was 
near the crest of the west side of the hill, up which the brigade was 
now moving. The brigade eventually gained possession of this by half- 
17* 



394 



GENERAL GRANT 



past one o'clock, when a second brigade moved upon its left and rear. 
This brigade got into position without any serious skirmishing. But 
■while this force was moving up, the enemy had continued to pour into 
the advance not only a continuous, though harmless fire ofmusketry, 
but had devised and put into execution a system of warfare worthy of 
the ancients. They began throwing stones. And this, too, with such an 
effect, that they soon grew to be as great a terror to our boys as gun- 
boats were formerly to the rebels. These stones — huge in size — partly 
thrown down the mountain, would leap over the outjutting rocks and 
fall upon onr men with great force, doing much damage. The men at 
length, unable to bear this fire, demanded to be led against the fort, and 
did rush forward, but met with such a heavy fire that in their tempo- 
rarily disordered state they were unable to stand it, and breaking, 
turned and fled, only the color-bearer of one of the regiments remaining 
in position. Here he continued, waving his flag, until the retreating 
forces having met in descending, the second advancing brigade turned, 
rallied, and again marched in good order to the position formerly held 
by it, and rescued their colors from the enemy, who was making a 
charge for their possession. The color-bearer remained unhurt. Tho 
two brigades now laid down again when the enemy began again his 
fire of stones, but failed this time to break the line, though the troops 
were much harassed by this novel expedient to dislodge them. 

Not content with the strength of the column which lay now^resting 
on the hill, General Sherman ordered two other regiments to move up 
to the left and rear of those forces, in order to support it. These regi- 
ments moved forward and took up a strong position about nalfway up 
the hill. He had no sooner gotten into position than the other troops 
moved, and began to advance up the hill, with loud shouts of encour- 
agement. The enemy sprang to their guns, and from six pieces of artil- 
lery and a long line of musketry a heavy and destructive fire was 
poured upon them Instantly the last two regiments sent by General 
Sherman, though out of breath in climbing halfway up the hill, pushed 
forward in support of this perhaps premature assault. The hill at this 
time fitfully flashed and flared with flame, and the columns, the flags, 
the figures of both foe and friend being plainly visible, there was pre- 
sented the most magnificent vision of war which has yet been vouchsafed 
me. I cannot and dare not attempt to describe it. If the reader can 
imagine two hosts thus struggling, his imagination, however weak, can- 
not fail to draw a sublimer picture than my pen ; and however bright that 
imagination may be, it cannot fail to fall far short of the sublime reality. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 



395 



Through a half hour of slow, toilsome ascent did this keep on. The 
enemy continued without intermission to pour canister and musket balls 
into the column whose success they appeared so much to fear. Our 
men toiled on slowly, making but one wild dash at the guns, from which 
they came back maddened with rage at their failure. From their line 
the fire leaped upward to almost meet that of the enemy they were ap- 
proaching. Success seemed within our very grasp, and when — 

It was a partial repulse, but that momentary episode of the battle 
will reflect undying honor on the army of which those repulsed troops 
formed a part. I know not the cause — the rebel artillery may have been 
concentrated upon it, but one brigade broke — broke in utter confusion, 
I thought, as I saw it, and the men came rushing down the hill. The 
others still stood, and the re-enforcements continued to move forward. 
But the retreating troops did not fly to the foot of the hill, for at 
the moment they were passing the re-enforcements an officer sprang 
forward among them, seized the standard of one of the regiments and 
stuck it in the ground. I saw him wave his sword once over his head 
and point up the hill. I could not hear his voice, but the men did, and 
as if by magic — which will be forever a mystery to me — that routed 
column turned, turned instantly, and in a single second was marching 
up the hill, as firmly and as strongly formed as that of the newly arrived 
troops, and apparently forming a part of them. Not a man went further 
than where the re-enforcements were met, and there all turned and re- 
charged as if it were a movement they had been practising for years. 

And then this whole line pushed forward again — certainly the most 
wonderful display of human nature under thorough discipline I have 
ever beheld or imagined. Both brigades had broken once ; yet now, 
after half an hour's fight, they again returned to the fight by the side 
of a third leader. It is to me, writing it, perfectly incomprehensible, and 
I turn to my notes to see if my memory is not at fault. But no — the 
wonderful achievement is there in black and white— the very hour 
marked and noted, and just beneath it is a still more wonderful achieve- 
ment in the last charge and repulse. 

It was just at a quarter after two o'clock that the forces then in line 
mado a last grand charge at the rebel works, fifty yards in front of them. 
The line was perfect now, though the stream of wounded that straggled 
to the rear made it look ragged. The order was given, and they push- 
ed forward. It was but a short walk before breakfast, that fifty yards, 
but it was no child's play to charge over it. Double shotted with 
canister, the rebel guns thundered upon our men ; and, alas ! we could 



396 GENERAL GRANT 

Bee it was fearfully thinning our still advancing ranks. But still our boys 
pressed on— stern, rigid, boldly, grandly. I saw them with niy glass 
draw the blue cloth cap down over thjir eyes, as if seeking to hide the 
fearful flame that devoured them. A few more yards and a fow more 
lives, and the rebel battery, the rebel position was ours. 

We did not win it here. The enemy was forced to call for help— to 
draw from his centre— and at this moment, when all was ours, they 
poured in from their left around the hill, and got in upon our boys a 
damnable flank and cross fire that it was perfectly impossible to oppose. 
This force proved to be very heavy, and came into the engagement at 
double-quick. Our line crumbled almost instantaneously. A few hun- 
dred faced about and fought a running fight to the rear ; but the main 
body turned and retreated. But there was no panic, no despair. They 
saw they had failed and were overcome. They retreated, but not rush- 
ing wildly and furiously far to the rear. The powerful aided the weak, 
and the strong bore off the wounded. 

The west side of the hill was soon cleared of all but our wounded 
and the rebels. These latter pushed around the hill, under the fire of 
our guns, until they suddenly, and apparently unexpectedly, came upon 
Lightburn, who had during all this remained perfectly quiet, but who 
now sent them howling to their holes. 

At this moment I was standing near the bronze figure of Sherman. 
As our men retreated down the hill I saw him bite off the end of a cigar, 
light it, take a puff or two, and then, turning to one of his aides, said, 
" Tell Lightburn to intrench and go into position." He then sat down to 
write a dispatch. I knew the battle of Tunnel Hill was over. 

"We had been repulsed. I may say bloodily repulsed. 

But the enemy had been forced to commit the fatal error.* 

The following interesting account of the battle of Mis- 
sion Ridge is given by an eye-witness. 

The iron heart of Sherman's column began to be audible, like the fall 
of great trees in the uopth of the forest, as it beat beyond the woods on 
the extreme left. Over roads indescribable, and conquering lions o! 
difficulties that met him all the way, he had at length arrived with his 
command of the Army of the Tennessee. The roar of his guns was like 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 397 

the striking of a great clock, and grew nearer and louder as the morn- 
ing wore away. Along the centre all was still. Our men lay as they 
had lain since Tuesday ni^ht, motionless behind the works. Generals 
Grant, Thomas, Granger, Meigs, Ilunter, Reynolds, were grouped at Or' 
chard Knob, here ; Bragg, Breckinridge, Hardee, Stevens, Cleburn. Bates, 
Walker, were waiting on Mission Ridge, yonder. And the northern 
clock tolled on! At noon, a pair of steamers, screaming in the river 
across the town, telling over, in their own wild way, our mountain tri- 
umph on the right, pierced the hushed breadth of air between two lines 
of battle with a mite or two of the music of peaceful life. 

At one o'clock the signal flag at Fort Wood was a flutter. Scanning 
the horizon, another flag, glancing like a lady's handkerchief, showed 
white across a field lying high and dry upon the ridge three miles to the 
northeast, and answered back. The centre and Sherman's Corps had 
spoken. As the hour went by, all semblance to falling tree and toll- 
ing clock had vanished; it was a rattling roar; the ring of Sherman's 
panting artillery, and the fiery gust from the rebel guns on Tunnel Hill, 
the point of Mission Ridge. The enemy had massed there the corps of 
Hardee and Buckner, a3 upon a battlement, utterly inaccessible save by 
one steep, narrow way, commanded by their guns. A thousand men 
could hold it against a host. And right in front of this bold abutment 
of the ridge, is a broad, clear field, skirted by woods. Across this tre- 
mendous threshold up to death's door, moved Sherman's column. Twice 
it advanced, and twice I saw it swept back in bleeding lines before the 
furnace blast, until that russet field seemed some strange page ruled 
thick with blue aud red. Bright valor was in vain ; they lacked the 
ground to stand on ; they wanted, like the giant of old story, a touch 
of earth to make them strong. It was the devil's own corner. Before 
them was a lane, whose upper end the rebel cannon swallowed. Mov- 
ing by the right flank, nature opposed them with precipitous heights. 
There was nothing for it but straight across the field, swept by an enfi- 
lading fire, and up to the lane, down which drove the storm. They 
could unfold no broad front, and so the losses were less than seven 
hundred, that must otherwise have swelled to thousands. The musketry 
fire was delivered with terrible emphasis ; two dwellings, in one of which 
Federal wounded men were lying, set on fire by the rebels, began to 
send up tall columns of smoke, streaked red with fire ; the grand and 
the terrible were blended. 

If Sherman did not attain the height and roll the enemy along the 
Ridge like a carpet, at least he rendered splendid services, for he had a 



398 GENERAL GRANT 

huge ganglion of rebels as firmly on their right as if he held them in the 
vise of the " lame Lemnian," who forged the thunderbolts. 

* * * * * 

The brief November afternoon was half gone ; it was yet thundering 
on the left ; along the centre all was still. At that very hour a fierce 
assault was made upon the enemy's left near Rossville, four miles down 
towards the old field of Chickamauga. They carried the Ridge ; Mission 
Ridge seems everywhere — they strewed its summit with rebel dead; 
they held it. And thus the tips of the Federal army's wide-spread 
wings flapped grandly. But it had not swooped; the gray quarry yet, 
perched upon Mission Ridge ; the rebel army was terribly battered at 
the edges, but there full in our front it grimly waited, biding out its 
time. If the horns of the rebel crescent could not be doubled crushingly 
together, in a shapeless mass, possibly it might be sundered at its cen- 
tre, and tumbled in fragments over the other side of Mission Ridge. 
Sherman was halted upon the left ; Hooker was holding hard in Chat- 
tanooga Yalley ; the Fourth Corps, that rounded out our centre, grew im- 
patient of restraint; the day was waning; but little time remained to 
complete the Commanding General's grand design ; Gordon Granger's 
hour had come ; his work was full before him. . 

And what a work that was to make a weak man falter and a brave 
man think ! One and a half miles to traverse, with narrow fringes of 
woods, rough valleys, sweeps of open field, rocky acclivities, to the base 
of the ridge, and no foot in all the breadth withdrawn from rebel sight ; 
no foot that could not be played upon by rebel cannon, like a piano's 
keys, under Thalberg's stormy fingers. The base attained, what then ? 
A heavy rebel work, packed with the enemy, rimming it like a battlement. 
That work carried, and what then ? A hill, struggling up out of the 
valley, four hundred feet, rained on by bullets, swept by shot and shell; 
another fine of works, and then, up like a Gothic roof, rough with rocks, 
a wreck with fallen trees, four hundred more ; another ring of fire and 
iron, and then the crest, and then the enemy. 

To dream of such a journey would be madness ; to devise it a thing 
incredible ; to do it a deed impossible. But Grant was guilty of them all, 
and Granger was equal to the work. The story of the battle of Mission 
Ridge is struck with immortality already ; let the leader of the Fourth 
Corps bear it company. 

That the centre yet lies along its silent line is still true ; in five min- 
utes it will be the wildest fiction. Let us take that little breath of grace 
for just one glance at the surroundings, since we shall have neither 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 399 

heart nor eyes for it again. Did ever battle have so vast a cloud of -wit- 
nesses? The hive-shaped hills have swarmed. Clustered like bees, 
blackening the house-tops, lining the fortifications, over yonder across 
the theatre, in the seats with the Catilines, everywhere, are a hundred 
thousand beholders. Their souls are in their eyes. Not a murmur can 
you hear. It is the most solemn congregation that ever stood up in the 
presence of the God of battles. I think of Bunker Hill, as I stand 
here; of the thousands who witnessed the immortal struggle ; and fancy 
there is a parallel. I think, too, that the chair of every man of them 
will stand vacant against the wall to-morrow r , and that around the fire- 
side they must give thanks without him, if they can. 

At half-past three, a group of generals, whose names will need no 
" Old Mortality" to chisel them anew, stood upon Orchard Knob. The 
hero of Vicksburg was there, calm, clear, persistent, far-seeing. 
Thomas, the sterling and sturdy : Meigs, Hunter, Granger, Reynolds. 
Clusters of humbler mortals were there, too, but it was any thing but a 
turbulent crowd ; the voice naturally fell into a subdued tone, and even 
young faces took on the gravity of later years. Generals Grant, Thomas, 
and Granger conferred, an order was given, and in an instant the Knob was 
cleared like a shiji's deck for action. At twenty minutes of four, Granger 
stood upon the parapet ; the bugle swung idle at the bugler's side, the 
warbling fife and the grumbling drum unheard: — there was to be louder 
talk — six guns at intervals of two seconds, the signal to advance. 
Strong and steady his voice rang out : " Number one, fire ! Number 
two, fire ! Number three, fire 1" it seemed to me the tolling of the clock 
of destiny — and when at " Number six, fire I" the roar throbbed out 
with the flash, you should have seethe dead line that had been lying 
behind the works all day, all night, all day again, come to resurr^tion 
in the twinkling of an eye — leap like a blade from its scabba^f and 
sweep with a two-mile stroke towards the ridge. From divisions to 
brigades, from brigades to regiments, the order ran. A minute, and the 
skirmishers deploy ; a minute, and the first great drops begin to patter 
along the line; a minute, and the musketry is in full play like the crack- 
ling whips of a hemlock fire ; men go down here and there, before your 
eyes ; the wind lifts the smoke and drifts it away over the top of the 
ridge ; every thing is too distinct ; it is fairly palpable ; you can touch it 
with your hand. The divisions of Wood and Sheridan are wading 
breast deep in the valley of death. 

I never can tell you what it was like. They pushed out, leaving nothing 
behind them. There was no reservation in that battle. On moves the 



400 



GENERAL GRANT 



line of skirmishers, like a heavy frown, and after it, at quick time, the 
splendid columns. At right of us and left of us and front of us, you 
can see the bayonets glitter in the sun. You cannot persuade yourself 
that Bragg was wrong, a day or two ago, when, seeing Hooker moving 
in, he said, "Now we shall have a Potomac review;" that this is not the 
parade he prophesied ; that it is of a truth the harvest of death to 
which they go down. And so through the fringe of woods went the 
line. Now, out into the open ground they burst at the double-quick. 
Shall I call it a Sabbath day's journey, or a long one and a half mile ? 
To me that watched, it seemed endless as eternity, and yet they made 
it in thirty minutes. The tempest that now broke upon their heads 
was terrible. The enemy's lire burst out of the rifle-pits from base to 
summit of Mission Ridge ; five rebel batteries of Parrotts and Napoleons 
opened along the crest. Grape and canister and shot and shell sowed 
the ground with rugged iron and garnished it with the wounded and 
the dead. But steady and strong our columns moved on. 



"By heaven ! It was a splendid sight to see, 
For one who had no friend, no brother there;" 

but to all loyal hearts, alas I and thank God, those men were friend and 
brother, both in one. 

And over their heads as they went, Forts "Wood and Negley struck 
straight out like mighty pugilists right and left, raining their iron 
blows upon the Ridge from base to crest ; Forts Palmer and King took 
up the quarrel, and Moccasin Point cracked its fiery whips and lashed 
the rebel left till the wolf cowered in its corner with a growl. Bridges's 
battery, from Orchard Knob belov^thrust its ponderous fists in the face 
of thj^nemy, and planted blows at will. Our artillery was doing splen- 
did ^^ice. It laid its shot and shell wherever it pleased. Had giants 
carried them by hand they could hardly havo been more accurate. All 
along the mountain's side, in the rebel rifle-pits, on the crept, they fair- 
ly dotted the Ridge. General Granger leaped down, sighted a gun* 
and in a moment, right in front, a great volume of smoke, like "the 
cloud by day," lifted off the summit from among the rebel batteries, and 
hung motionless, kindling in the sun. The shot h;id struck a caisson 
and that was its dying breath. In five minutes away floated another. 
A shell went crashing through a building in the cluster that marked 
Bragg's head-quarters; a second killed the skeleton horses of a battery 
at his elbow, a third scattered a gray mass as if it had been a wasp'i 
nest. 



AXD HIS CAMPAIGNS 



401 



And all the while our lines were moving on; they had burned 
through the woods and swept over the rough and rolling ground like a 
prairie-flre. Never halting, never faltering, they charged up to the first 
rifle-pits with a cheer, forked out the rebels with their bayonets, and 
lay there panting for breath. If the thunder of guns had bcea terrible, 
it was now growing sublime ; it was like the footfall of God on the 
ledges of cloud. Our forts and batteries still thrust out their mighty 
arms across the valley ; the rebel guns that lined the arc of the crest 
full in our front, opened like the fan of Lucifer, and converged their 
fire down upon Baird and "Wood and Sheridan. It was rifles and mus- 
ketry; it was grape and canister; it was shell and schrapnel. Mis- 
sion Ridge was volcanic: a thousand torrents of red poured over its 
brink and rushed together to its base. And our men were there, halt- 
ing for breath! And still the sublime diapason rolled on. Echoes that 
never waked before, roared out from height to height, and called from 
the far ranges of Waldron's Ridge to Lookout. - As for Mission Ridge, 
it had jarred to such music before; it was the "sounding-board" of 
Chickamauga ; it was behind us then ; it frowns and flashes in our faces 
to-day ; the old army of the Cumberland was there ; it breasted the 
storm till the storm was spent, and left the ground it held; the 
old army of the Cumberland is here ! It shall roll up the Ridge like a 
surge to its summit, and sweep triumphant down the other side. Be- 
lieve me, that memory and hope may have made the heart of many a 
blue-coat beat like a drum. "Beat," did I say? The feverish heart of 
the battle beats on; fiftj -eight guns a minute, by the watch, is the rate 
of its terrible throbbing. That hill, if you climb it, will appal you. 
Furrowed like a summer-fallow, bullets as if an oak had shed them; 
trees clipped and shorn, leaf and limb, as with the knife of some heroic 
gardener pruning back for richer fruit. How you attain the summit, 
weary and breathless, I wait to hear ; how they went up in the teeth of 
the storm no man can tell ! 

And all the while rebel prisoners have been streaming out from the 
rear of our lines like the tails of a cloud of kites. Captured and dis- 
armed, they needed nobody to set them going. The fire of their own 
comrades was like spurs in a horse's flanks, and amid the tempest of 
their own brewing they ran for dear life, until they dropped like quails 
into the Federal rifle-pits and were safe. But our gallant legions aro 
out in the storm ; they have carried the works at the base of the Ridge ; 
they have fallen like leaves in winter weather. Blow, dumb bugles ! 

Souud the recall! "Take the rifle-pit," was the order; and it is as 






402 GENERAL GRANT 

empty of rebels as the tomb of the prophets. Shall they turn their 
backs to the blast ? Shall they sit down under the eaves of that drip- 
ping iron ? Or shall they climb to the cloud of death above them, and 
pluck out its lightnings as they would straws from a sheaf of wheat ? 
But the order was not given. And now the arc of fire on the crest 
grows fiercer and longer. The reconnoissance of Monday had failed to 
develop the heavy metal of the enemy. The dull fringe of the hill kin- 
dles with the flash of great guns. I count the fleeces of white smoke 
that dot the Ridge, as battery after battery opens upon our line, until 
from the ends of the growing arc they sweep down upon it in mighty 
X's of fire. I count till that devil's girdle numbers thirteen batteries, 
and my heart cries out, "Great God, when shall the end be I" There 
is a poem I learned in childhood, and so did you: it is Campbell's 
" Hohenlinden." One line I never knew the meaning of until I read it 
written along that hill I It has lighted up the whole poem for me with 
the glow of battle forever : 

" And louder than the bolts of heaven, 
Far flashed the red artillery." 

At this moment General Granger's aids are dashing out with an 
order; they radiate over the field, to left, right, and front; "Take the 
Ridge if you can" — "Take the Ridge if you can" — and so it went along 
the line. But the advance had already set forth without it. Stout- 
hearted Wood, the iron-gray veteran, is rallying on his men ; stormy 
Turchin is delivering brave words in bad English: Sheridan — "little 
Phil" — you may easily look down upon him without climbing a tree, 
and see one of the most gallant leaders of the age if you do — is riding 
to and fro along the first line of rifle-pits, as calmly as a chess-player. 
An aid rides up with the order. " Avery, that flask," said the General. 
Quietly filling the pewter cup, Sheridan looks up at the battery that 
frowns above him, by Bragg's head-quarters, shakes his cap amid that 
storm of every thing that kills, when you could hardly hold your hand 
without catching a bullet in it, and with a " how are you ?" tosses off the 
cup. The blue battle-flag of the rebels fluttered a response to the cool 
salute, and the next instant the battery let fly its six guns, showering 
Sheridan with earth. Alluding to that compliment with any thing but 
a blank cartridge, the General said to me in his quiet way, "I thought 

it ungenerous!" The recording angel will drop a tear upon the 

word for the part he played that day. Wheeling towards the men, be 
cheered them to the charge, and made at the hill like a bold-riding hun- 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 



403 



ter; they were out of the rifle-pits and into the tempest and struggling 
up the steep, before you could get breath to tell it, and so they were 
throughout the inspired line. 

And now you have before you one of the most startling episodes of 
the war ; I cannot render it in words ; dictionaries are beggarly things. 
But I maij tell you they did not storm that mountain as you would 
think. They dash out a little way, and then slacken ; they creep up, 
hand over hand, loading and firing, and wavering and halting, from the 
first Hue of works to the second; they burst into a charge with a 
cheer, and go over it. Sheets of flame baptize them ; plunging shot 
tear away comrades on left and right ; it is no longer shoulder to shoul- 
der ; it is God for us all! Under tree-trunks, am^krocks, stumbling 
over the dead, struggling with the living, facing^ne steady fire of 
eight thousand infantry poured down upon their heads as if it were the 
old historic curse from heaven, they wrestle with the Ridge. Ten, fif- 
teen, twenty minutes go by like a reluctant century. The batteries roll 
like a drum ; between the second and last lines of rebel works is the 
torrid zone of the battle ; the hill sways up like a wall before them at 
an angle of forty-five degrees, but our brave mountaineers are clamber- 
ing steadily on — up — upward still I You may think it strange, but I 
would not have recalled them if I could. They would have lifted you, 
as they did me, in full view of the heroic grandeur : they seemed to be 
spurning the dull earth under their feet, and going up to do Homeric 
battle with the greater gods. 

And what do those men follow ? If you look you shall see that the 
thirteen thousand are not a rushing herd of human creatures ; that 
along the Gothic roof of the Ridge a row of inverted V's is slowly mov- 
ing up almost in line, a mighty lettering on the hill's broad side. At 
the angles of those V's is something that glitters like a Ming. Your 
heart gives a great bound when you think what it is— the regimental 
flag— and glancing along the front count fifteen of those colors that 
,vere borne at Pea Ridge, waved at Shiloh, glorified at Stone River, 
riddled at Chickamauga. Nobler than Caesar's rent mantle are they 
all I And up move the banners, now fluttering like a wounded bird, . 
now faltering, now sinking out of sight. Three times the flag of one 
regiment goes down. And you know why. Three dead color-ser- 
geants lie just there, but the flag is immortal— thank God !— and up it 
comes again, and the V's move on. At the left of Wood, three regi- 
ments of Baird— Turchin, the Russian thunderbolt, is there— hurl 
themselves against a bold point strong with rebel works , for a long 



404 



GENERAL GRANT 



quarter of an hour three flags are perched and motionless on a plateau 
under the frown of the hill. "Will they linger forever ? I give a look 
at the sun behind me ; it is not more than a hand's breadth from the 
edge of the mountain ; its level rays bridge the valley from Chatta- 
nooga to the Ridge with beams of gold ; it shines in the rebel faces ; it 
brings out the Federal blue; it touches up the flags. Oh, for the voice 
that could bid that sun stand still 1 I turn to the battle again ; those 
three flags have taken flight 1 They are upward bound. 

The race of the flags is growing every moment more terrible. There 
at the right, a strange thing catches the eye; one of the inverted V's 
is turning right side up. The men struggling along the converging 
lines to overtakeBfcflag have distanced it, and there the colors are, 
sinking down in im centre between the rising flanks. The line wavers 
like a great billow and up comes the banner again, as if heaved on a 
surge's shoulder. The iron sledges beat on. Hearts, loyal and brave, 
are on the anvil, all the way from base to summit of Mission Ridge, 
but those dreadful hammers never intermit. Swarms of bullets sweep 
the hill ; you can count twenty-eight balls in one little tree. Things 
are growing desperate up aloft; the rebels tumble rocks upon the 
rising line ; they light the fuses and roll shells down the steep ; they 
load the guns with handfuls of cartridges in their haste ; and as if 
there were powder in the word, they shout " Chickamauga 1" down 
upon the mountaineers. But it would not all do, and just as the sun, 
weary of the scene, was sinking out of sight, with magnificent bursts all 
along the line, exactly as you have seen the crested seas leap up at 
the breakwater, the advance surged over the crest, and in a minute those 
flags fluttered along the fringe where fifty rebel guns were kenneled. 
God bless the flag I God save the Union 1 

"What colors were first upon the mountain battlement I dare not try 
to say ; bright honor itself may be proud to bear — nay, proud to follow 
the hindmost. Foot by foot they had fought up the steep, slippery 
with much blood ; let them go to glory together. A minute and they 
were all there, fluttering along the Ridge from left to right. The rebel 
hordes rolled off to the north, rolled off to the east, like the clouds of a 
worn-out storm. Bragg, ten minutes before, was putting men back in 
the rifle-pits. His gallant gray was straining a nerve for him now, 
and the man rode on horseback into Dixie's bosom, who, arrayed in 
some prophet's discarded mantle, foretold on Monday that the Yankees 
would leave Chattanooga in five days. They left in three, and by way 
of Mission Ridge, straight over the mountains as their forefathers 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 405 

weat ! As Sheridan rode up to the guns, the heels of Breckinridge's 
horse glittered in the last rays of sunshine. That crest was hardly 
"well off with the old love before it was on with the new." 

But the scene on the narrow plateau can never be painted. As the 
blue coats surged over its edge, cheer on cheer raug like bells through 
the valley of the Chickamauga. Men flung themselves exhausted upon 
the ground. They laughed and wept, shook hands, embraced ; turned 
round and did all four over again. It was as wild as a carnival. 
Granger was received with a shout. " Soldiers," he said, "you ought to 
be court-martialed every man of you. I ordered you to take the rifle- 
pits and you scaled the mountain!" but it was not Mars's horrid front 
exactly with which he said it, for his cheeks were wet with tears as 
honest as the blood that reddened all the route, Wood uttered words 
that rang like "Napoleon's," and Sheridan, the rowels at his horse's 
flanks, was ready for a dash down the Ridge with a "view halloo," for 
a fox hunt. 

But you must not think this was all there was of the scene on the 
crest, for fight and frolic was strangely mingled. Not a rebel had 
dreamed a man of us all would live to reach the summit, and when a 
little wave of the Federal cheer rolled up and broke over the crest, 
they defiantly cried " Hurrah and be damned I" the next minute a Union 
regiment followed the voice, the rebels delivered their fire, and turn- 
bled down in the rifle-pits, their faces distorted with fear. No sooner 
had the soldiers scrambled to the Ridge and straightened themselves, 
than up muskets and away they blazed. One of them, fairly beside 
himsoif between laughing and crying, seemed puzzled at which end of 
his piece he should load, and so abandoning the gun and the problem 
together, he made a catapult of himself and fell to hurling stones after 
the enemy. And he said, as he threw — well, you know our " army 
swore terribly in Flanders." Bayonets glinted and muskets rattled. 
Gen. Sheridan's horse was killed under him; Richard was not in his 
role, and so he leaped upon a rebel gun for want of another. Rebel 
artillerists are driven from their batteries at the edge of the sword and 
the point of the bayonet ; two rebel guns are swung around upon their 
old masters. But there is nobody to load them. Light and heavy ar- 
tillery do not belong to the winged kingdom. Two infantry men 
claiming to be old artillerists, volunteer. Granger turns captain of the 
guns, and — right about wheel ! — in a moment they are growling after 
the flying enemy. I say " flying," but that is figurative. The many 
run like Spanish merinos, but the few fight like gray wolves at bay j 



40G GENERAL GRANT 

they load and Are as they retreat; they are fairly scorched out of 
position. 

A sharpshooter, fancying Granger to be worth the powder, coolly 
tries his hand at him. The General hears the zip of a ball at one ear, 
but doesn't mind it. In a minute away it sings at the other. He takes 
the hint, sweeps wifh his glass the direction whence the couple came, 
and brings up the marksman, just drawing a bead upon hiin again. 
At that instant a Federal argument persuades the cool hunter and down 
he goes. That long range gun of his was captured, weighed twenty- 
four pounds, was telescope-mounted, a sort of mongrel howitzer. 

A colonel is slashing away with his sabre in a ring of rebels. Down 
goes his horse under him ; they have him on the hip ; one of them is 
taking deliberate aim, when up rushes a lieutenant, claps a pistol to one 
ear and roars in at the other, " Who the h — 1 are you shooting at?" 
The fellow drops his piece, gasps out, " I surrender," and the next instant 
the gallant lieutenant falls sharply wounded. He is a " roll of honor " 
officer, straight up from the ranks, and he honors the roll. 

A little German in Wood's Division is pierced like the lid of a pepper 
box, but he is neither dead nor wounded. "See here," he says, rush- 
ing up to a comrade, " a pullet hit te preach of mine gun, a pullet in 
mine pocket-book — a pullet in mine coat tail — they shoots me tree, five 
time, and py dam I gives dem h — 1 yet I" 

Bat I can render you no idea of the battle caldron that boiled on the 
plateau. An incident here and there, I have given you, and you must 
fill out the picture for yourself. Dead rebels lay thick around Bragg's 
head-quarters and along the Ridge. Scabbards, broken arms, artillery 
horses, wrecks of gun-carriages, and bloody garments, strewed the 
scene ; and, tread lightly, oh ! loyal-hearted, the boys in blue are lying 
there; no more the sounding charge, no more the brave, wild cheer, 
and never for them, sweet as the breath of the new-mown hay in the 
old home fields, " The Soldier's Return from the War." A little waif 
of a drummer-boy, somehow drifted up the mountain in the surge, lies 
there; his pale face upward, a clue spot en his breast. Muffle his 
drum for the poor child and his mother. 

Our troops met one loyal welcome on the height. How the old 
Tcnnesseean that gave it managed to get there nobody knows, but there 
he was, grasping a colonel's hand, and saying, while the tears ran down 
his face, " God be thanked ! I knew the Yankees would fight I" With 
the receding flight and swift pursuit the battle died away in murmurs, 
far down the valley of the Chickamauga ; Sheridan was again in the 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 407 

paddle, and with his command spurring on after the enemy. Tall 
columns of smoke were rising at the left. The rebels were burning a 
train of stores a mile long. In the exploding rebel caissons we had 
" the cloud by day," and now we are having " the pillar of fire by night." 
The sun, the golden dish of the scales that balance day and night, had 
hardly gone down, when up, beyond Mission Ridge, rose the silver side, 
for that night it was full moon. The troubled day was done. A Fed- 
eral General sal in the seat of the man wlio, on the very Saturday before the 
battle, hod sent a flag to the Federal lines with the words : 

" Humanity would dictate the removal of all non-combatants from 
Chattanooga, as I am about to shell tho city I" 

Sat there, and announced to the Fourth Corps the congratulations and 
thanks, just placed in his hands, from the commander of tho depart- 
ment: 

Bragg's Head-Quarters, Mission Ridge, ) 
November 25, 1803. ) 

In conveying to you this distinguished recognition of your signal gal- 
lantry in carrying, through a terrible storm of iron, a mountain crowned 
with batteries and enriched with rifle-pits, I am constrained to express 
my own admiration of your noble conduct, and am proud to tell you 
that the veteran Generals from other fields, who witnessed ycur heroic 
bearing, place your assault and triumph among the most brilliant 
achievements of the war. Thanks, soldiers ! You have made, this day. 
a glorious page of history. 

Gordon Granges. 

There was a species of poetic justice in it all, that would have made 
the prince of dramatists content. The ardor of the men had been 
quenchless : there had been three days of fitful fever, and after it, alas I 
a multitude had slept well. The work on tho right, left, and centre, 
cost us full four thousand killed and wounded. There is a tremble of 
the lip, but a flash of pride in the eye, as the soldier tells with how 
many he went in — how expressive that "went in!" Of a truth it was 
wading in deep waters — with how few we came out. I cannot try to 
swing the burden clear of any heart, by throwing into the scale upon tha 
other side the dead weight of fifty-two pieces of captured artillery, ten 
thousand stand of arms, and heaps of dead rebels, or by driving upon 
a herd of seven thousand prisoners. Nothing of all this can lighten 
that burden a single ounce, but this thought may, and I dare to utter it 
Those three days' work brought Tennessee to resurrection ; set the flag, 



408 GENERAL GRANT 

that fairest blossom in all this flowery world, to blooming in its native 
soil once more. 

That splendid march from the Federal line of battle to the crest, was 
made in one hour and five minutes, but it was a grander march towards 
the end of rebeldom ; a glorious campaign of sixty-five minutes towards 
the white borders of peace. It made that fleeting November afternoon 
imperishable. Than the assault upon Mission Eidge, I know of nothing 
more gallant in the annals of the war. Let it rank foremost with the 
storming of Fort Scharnitz and Alma, that covered the French arms 
with undying fame. 

Reader and writer must walk together down the heights another day ; 
press that rugged earth with the first backward step a loyal foot has 
made upon it, and as we linger, recall a few of the incidents that will 
render it historic and holy ground for coming time. Let the struggle 
bo known as the Battle of Mission Ridge, and when, in calmer days, 
men make pilgrimage, and women smile again among the mountains of 
the Cumberland, they will need no guide. Rust will have eaten the 
guns; the graves of the heroes will have subsided like waves: weary of 
their troubling, the soldier aud his leader will have lain down together; 
but there, embossed upon the globe, Mission Ridge will stand its fitting 
monument forever.* 

Gener tl Grant announced the victory in the following 

i'ew but telling words : 

Chattanooga, November 25, 1863. — 7.15 p. m. 
Major-General H. "W. Halleck, General-in-Chief: 

Although the battle lasted from early dawn till dark this evening, 
J believe I am not premature in announcing a complete victory over Bragg. 

Lookout Mountain top, all the rifle-] its in Chattanooga Valley, and 
Missionary Ridge entire have been carried, and are now held by us. 

U. S. Grant, Major- Gi.ieraU 

The rebel dispatch is thus worded : 

Chickamauga, November 25, 18G3. 
General S. Cooper, Adjutant and Inspector General : ■ 

After several unsuccessful assaults on our lines to-day, the enemy 

carried the left centre about four o clock. The whole left .soon gave way in 

considerable disorder. The right maintained its ground, and repelled 

every attack. I am withdrawing all to this point. 

Braxton Braog. 




• 



AXD HIS CAMPAIGNS. 409 



CHAPTER LII. 

RETROSPECT OF THE THREE DAYS' BATTLES. 

Perhaps no better retrospect of these battles could be 
written, than that which will be found in the following 
pithy dispatch from General Meigs, Quartermaster-General 
of the United States Army, who was present at Chatta- 
nooga during the whole action : 

Head-Quarters, Chattanooga, Nov. 26, 18G3. 
Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War : 

g IR: _On the 23d instant, at half-past eleven, a. M., General Grant 
ordered a demonstration r.gainst Missionary Ridge, to develop the force 
holding it. The troops marched out, formed in order, and advanced in 
line of battle as if on parade. 

The rebels watched the formation and movement from their picket 
lines and rifle-pits, and from the summits of Missionary Ridge, five hun- 
dred feet above us, and thought it was a review and drill, so openly and 
deliberately, so regular, was it all done. 

The line advanced, preceded by skirmishers, and at two o'clock p. m. 
reached our picket lines, and opened a rattling volley upon the rebel 
pickets, who replied and ran into their advanced line of rifle-pits. After 
them went our skirmishers and into them, along the centre of the line 
of 25.000 troops which General Thomas had so quickly displayed, until 
we opened fire. Prisoners assert that they thought the whole movement 
was a review and general drill, and that it was too late to send to their 
camps for re-enforcements, and that they were overwhelmed by force of 
numbers. It was a surprise in open daylight. 

At three p. m., the important advanced position of Orchard Knob and 
the fines right and left were in our possession, and arrangements were 
ordered for holding them during the night. 

The next day at daylight General Sherman had five thousand men 
across the Tennessee, and established on its south bank, and commenced 
the construction of a pontoon bridge about six miles above Chattanooga. 
18 



410 



GENERAL GRANT 



The rebel steamer Dunbar was repaired at the right moment, and render- 
ed effective aid in this crossing, carrying over six thousand men. 

By nightfall General Sherman had seized the extremity of Missionary 
Ridge nearest the river, and was intrenching himself. General Howard, 
with a brigade, opened communication with him from Chattanooga on 
the south side of the river. Skirmishing and cannonading continued all 
day on the left and centre. General Hooker scaled the slopes of Lookout 
Mountain, and from the valley of Lookout Creek drove the rebels around 
the point. He' captured some two thousand prisoners, and established 
himself high up the mountain side, in full view of Chattanooga. This 
raised the blockade, and now steamers were ordered from Bridgeport to 
Chattanooga. They had run only to Kelley's Ferry, whence ten miles 
of hauling over mountain roads and twice across the Tennessee on pon- 
toon bridges brought us our supplies. 

All night the point of Missionary Ridge on the extreme left, and the 
side of Lookout Mountain on the extreme right, blazed with the camp 
fires of loyal troops. 

The day had been one of dense mists and rains, and much of General 
Hooker's battle was fought above the clouds, which concealed him from our 
view, but from which his musketry was heard. 

At nightfall the sky cleared and the full moon — " the traitor's doom" 
— shone upon the beautiful scene, until one A. M., when twinkling sparks 
upon the mountain side showed that picket skirmishing was going on. 
Then it ceased. A brigade sent from Chattanooga crossed the Chatta- 
nooga Creek and opened communication with Hooker. 

General Grant's head-quarters during the afternoon of the 23d and the day 
of the 2ith were in Wood's redoul t, except when in the course of the day he 
rode along the advanced line, visiting tJie head-quarters of 'the several command' 
ers in Chattanooga Valley. 

At daylight on the 25th the Stars and Stripes were descried on the 
peak of Lookout. The rebels had evacuated the mountain. 

Hooker moved to descend the mountain, striking Missionary Ridge at 
the Rossville Gap, to sweep both sides and its summit. 

The rebel troops were seen, as soon as it was light enough, streaming 
regiments and brigades along the narrow summit of Missionary Ridge, 
either concentrating on the right to overwhelm Sherman, or marching 
for the railroad to raise the siege. 

They had evacuated the valley of Chattanooga. "Would they abandon 
that of Chickamauga? 

The twenty-pouuders and four-and-a-quarter inch rifles of Wood's 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 411 

redoubt opened on Missionary Ridge. Orchard Knob sent its compli- 
ments to the Ridge, which, with rifled Parrotts, answered, and the can- 
nonade, thus commenced, continued all day. Shot and shell screamed 
from Orchard Knob to Missionary Ridge, and from Missionary Ridge to 
Orchard Knob, and from Wood's redoubt, over the heads of Generals Grant 
and Thomas and their staffs, who were with vs in this favorulle position, 
from whence the whole battle could be seen as in an amphitheatre. The head- 
quarters were under fire all day long. 

Cannonading and musketry were heard from General Sherman, and 
General Howard marched the Eleventh Corps to join him. 

General Thomas sent out skirmishers, who drove in the rebel pickets 
and chased them into their intrenchments, and at the foot of Missionary 
Ridge Sherman made an assault against Bragg's right, intrenched on a 
high knob next to that on which Sherman himself lay fortified. The 
assault was gallantly made. 

Sherman reached the edge of the crest, and held his ground for (it 
seemed to me) an hour, but was bloodily repulsed by reserves. 

A general advance was ordered, and a strong line of skirmishers fol- 
lowed by a deployed line of battle some two miles in length. At the sig- 
nal of leaden shots from head-quarters on Orchard Knob, the line moved 
rapidly and orderly forward. The rebel pickets discharged their muskets 
and ran into their rifle-pits. Our skirmishers followed on their heels. 

The line of battle was not far behind, and we saw the gray rebels 
swarm out of the ledge line of rifle-pits and over the base of the hill in 
numbers which surprised us. A few turned and fired their pieces; but 
the greater number collected into the many roads which cross obliquely 
up its steep face, and went on to the top. 

Some regiments pressed on and swarmed up the steep sides of the 
Ridge, and here and there a color was advanced beyond the lines. The 
attempt appeared most dangerous ; but the advance was supported, and 
the whole fine was ordered to storm the heights, upon which not less 
than forty pieces of artillery, and no one knew how many muskets, stood 
ready to slaughter the assailants. With cheers answering to cheers 
the men swarmed upward. They gathered to the points least difficult of 
ascent, and the line was broken. Color after color was planted on the 
summit, while musket and cannon vomited their thunder upon thenr. 

A well-directed shot from Orchard Knob exploded a rebel caisson on 
the summit, and the gun was seen being speedily taken to the right, its 
driver lashing his horses. A party of our soldiers intercepted them, and 
the gun was captured, with cheers. 



412 GENERAX GKAJST 

A fierce musketry fight broke out to the left, where, between Thomas 
and Sherman, a mile or two of the Ridge was still occupied by the rebels. 

Bragg left the house in which he had held his head-quarters, and rode 
to the rear as our troops crowded the hill on either side of him. 

General Grant proceeded to the summit, and then only did we know its 
height. 

Some of the captured artillery was put into position. Artillerists were 
sent for to work the guns, and caissons were searched for ammunition. 

The rebel log breastworks were torn to pieces and carried to the 
other side of the Ridge, and used in forming barricades across. 

A strong line of infantry was formed in the rear of Baird's line, and 
engaged in a musketry contest with the rebels to the left, and a secure 
lodgment was soon effected. 

The other assault to the right of our centre gained the summit, and 
the rebels threw down their arms and fled. 

Hooker, coming into favorable position, swept the right of the Ridge, 
and captured many prisoners. 

Bragg's remaining troops left early in the night, and the battle of Chat- 
tanooga, after days of minauioring and fighting, was won. The strength 
of the rebellion in the centre is broken. Burnside is relieved from danger in 
East Tennessee. Kentucky and Tennessee are rescued. Georgia and the 
Southeast are threatened in the rear, and another victory is added to 

THE CHAPTER OF " UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER GRANT." 

To-night the estimate of captures is several thousand prisoners and 
thirty pieces of artillery. 

Our loss for so great a victory is not severe. 

Bragg is firing the railroad as he retreats towards Dalton. Sherman 
is in hot pursuit. 

To-day I viewed the battle-field, which extends for six miles along 
Missionary Ridge and for several miles on Lookout Mountain. 

Probably not so well directed, so well ordered a battle, has taken place du- 
ring the war. But one assault was repulsed ; but that assault, by calling 
to that point the rebel reserves, prevented them repulsing any of the 
others. 

A few days since Bragg sent to General Grant a flag of truce, advising 
him that it would be prudent to remove any non-combatants who might 
be still in Chattanooga. No reply has been returned ; but the combat- 
ants having removed from the vicinity, it is probable that non-combat- 
ants can remain without imprudence. 

M. C. Meigs, Quartermaster- General. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 413 



CHAPTER LIII. 

THE rUKSUIT. — FIGHT AT RINGGOLD. 

The main portion of the struggle was over, but other 
work had yet to be done. The siege of Chattanooga was 
raised, but still the beaten rebels must not be allowed to 
gather their remnants together within any long day's 
march of the battle-field. A pursuit of their flying columns 
was ordered, and to Generals Sherman, Hooker, nnd Pal- 
mer was assigned the task of completing the rebel dis- 
comfiture. 

The following account of the pursuit is given by one who 
took part in the movements of General Hooker's column : 

After the successes of the 25th, the army was again put in motion, 
with a view of following up the enemy to Ringgold, and doing him a3 
much injury as possible in the shortest space of time. The army moved 
in three main columns, Hooker being on the right, Palmer in the centre, 
and Sherman on the left. Hooker took the Rossville road direct to Ring- 
gold, and Palmer made a junction with Sherman at Greysville, Sherman 
having moved up the left bank of the Chickamauga. All three of the 
columns met at and near Ringgold, from which place they opened lines 
of communication. 

Davis's Division of the Fourteenth Corps evacuated its position on a 
hill immediately adjacent to Missionary Ridge at two o'clock on the 
morning of the 26th, and marched to a point near where the Chicka- 
mauga empties its waters into the Tennessee River. Here the division 
crossed the Chickamauga on a pontoon bridge, and continued its march 
up the left bank of the stream. This division was immediately followed 
by all the divisions of the Eleventh Corps, and this again by Ewing's 
Division of Sherman's Corps. Towards daylight the extreme head of 



414 



GENERAL GRANT 



the column had some brief skirmishes, the rebel videttes or scouts fall- 
ing back after delivering their first fire. 

The morning was clear and bright, and the officers and men of the en- 
tire command in the best of spirits, for the successes of the previous day 
were truly of the most inspiriting character. Our movement now 
was to get on the enemy's flank in the course of his retreat, and strike 
a blow for the capture of his trains, pick up stragglers, give those 
willing to desert an opportunity to do so, and do what other damage 
we could. 

During the morning of this day, as General Sherman was absent else- 
where, Major-General Howard assumed command of the column and di- 
rected its movements. On the march we took some prisoners, picked 
up several deserters, and no small number of stragglers. The deserters 
represented what they had seen of Bragg's retreat as being confused 
and precipitate. 

About ten a. m. wo reached the neighborhood of Chickamauga depot. 
After a short engagement — more of a skirmish than any thing else — wo 
drove the rebels back from the depot. 

We found the deput in flames, and two large piles of corn meal burn- 
ing. The amount of commissary stores captured here was tolerably 
large. By the burning alone the rebels must have lost fifty thousand 
dollars' worth. 

Wo captured, fit for use, one pontoon train of fifteen boats ; two sixty- 
four-pounder rifled siege guns ; twenty army wagons ; sixty thousand 
rations of shelled corn ; fifty thousand rations of corn meal ; four hun- 
dred gallons of molasses ; two caissons ; six forges ; thirty barrels of 
pork; one thousand pounds of bacon; some ordnance stores, artillery, 
and small arm ammunition. 

The carnages on which the siege guns were mounted were found in 
flames, and became eventually totally destroyed. One of the guns was 
spiked with a wrought nail. 

The place presented a curious sight. A burning railroad depot, piles 
of burning corn meal, barrels and boxes sqattered around in the wildest 
confusion, piles of bacon lying on the railroad track, shelled corn scat- 
tered in piles around the railroad platform, two heavy guns pointed in 
the direction in which wc advanced — their carriages in flames ; a pon- 
toon train, new, and apparently never used, massed near the station; 
army wagons — some good and some broken down — turned over, on 
end, and every way displayed, in whatever direction the eye might turn ; 
small arms lying around, some broken and some not ; broken open boxes 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 



415 



of ammunition for small arms thrown here and there, by the fire and away 
from it ; a caisson on one. side, limber chest on the other, half open ; 
shells scattered under it, broken wheels, tongues of wagons, and other 
things pertaining to army transportation, thrown to the right and left, 
far and near, on all sides, and in the most disordered manner, showing 
that the enemy left with the greatest precipitancy, and before he could 
complete the destruction of one-third of his commissary, quartermaster, 
or ordnance stores. 

On an examination of the hills and fields around the station we found 
breastworks and redoubts. The latter were well constructed, and if 
properly manned could not have been taken without considerable loss 
of life, and without such manoeuvring as pertains to regular operations 
for battle. "We manned the works at once. 

The inhabitants we found in the place (which is but a small one) were 
few. They were so frightened at what had occurred, that it was some 
time before we could get from them intelligent answers to our questions. 
Even after they had a chance to get a little quieted, all they could tell 
us was that on the night previous, about eleven o'clock, the rebels 
commenced the movement of their stores — loading their teams and mov- 
ing them off as fast as possible ; and that finally they set fire to what 
stores they could ; when they found the Yankees pressing them, and 
left the place on a full run. 

Before leaving the depot, the retreating rebel forces destroyed two 
small railroad bridges (one over the Chickamauga) near that place. 
When necessary, the bridges can easily be rebuilt. 

Pushing on past Chickamauga depot, we drove the enemy to Pigeon 
Eidge, where he made a stand ; this at a point near where we had to 
pass. The enemy opened on us with artillery. Not knowing what 
force might be on the ridge, the whole column was placed in position 
for battle. We then advanced. The sight presented was a beautiful 
one. The far stretching lines, one after another emerging from the 
woods and advancing over open fields, with colors flying, made up a 
scene of interesting peculiarity. After a short engagement, in which we 
brought artillery to bear against that of the enemy, a brigade, of Davis's 
Division, charged up the heights and took them without any material loss, 
the enemy precipitately retiring on finding us determined to advance. 
This occurred at about half-past twelve o'clock. The column then rested 
for a short time. 

At this juncture General Sherman arrived on the field, and took direct 
command of the column. 



416 



GENERAL, GRANT 



General Sherman, while at Chickamauga depot, and in common with 
some other officers, assisted in putting out a portion of the fire around 
the railroad platform, thereby rendering service in saving some of the 
abandoned stores from destruction by the flames. 

On our march being resumed, and as the column moved forward, we 
came upon wagons, caissons, and odd wheels that had been abandoned 
by the enemy from time to time in the course of his retreat. 

No opposition worthy of mention attended our march forward until 
near dark, when, as we emerged out of some low, swampy ground, the 
enemy opened fire with musketry and artillery from a low hill. Quite 
a lively musketry fire ensued, lasting for about three-quarters of an 
hour, when we drove the enemy from the field, leaving his killed and 
wounded in our hands. "We then bivouacked for the night. 

Next morning we pressed on to Graysville, where we made a junction 
with the forces under command of Major-General Palmer. Here we 
learned that the enemy who fought us on the previous afternoon had 
retired to Graysville and gone into camp near that place, intending to 
move back to Ringgold on the following morning. Scarcely had he got 
into camp when he was surprised and attacked by Palmer's Corps, and 
immediately put to flight. In this surprise movement we captured 
three pieces of artillery, sixty-four prisoners, two caissons, and all the 
artillery horses. In subsequent movements General Palmer took this 
artillery with him to use it against the enemy. From the prisoners 
taken we learn that a General Stuart was in command of the forces thus 
surprised. 

Other than this surprise movement and some slight skirmishing, 
Palmer's co!"«nn met with nothing of particular interest during Thurs- 
day. 

On Thursday ITooker's column had skirmishing most all day, and 
towards evening an engagement, that was briefly terminated by our 
forces pressing forward and the enemy falling back. 

On Friday morning, November 27th, at half-past eight o'clock, Hooker's 
column moved up the Rossville road towards Ringgold and became 
engaged. As we pressed forward with rapidity and obstinacy, the 
enemy slowly fell back, through the town of Ringgold and towards the 
gap, being closely followed up. 

Ringgold is a small place, of about two thousand five hundred in- 
habitants, and the county seat of Catoosa County, Georgia; is situated 
at the base of the "White Oak Mountain Ridge, and directly in front of 
Ringgold Gap. The surrounding scenery is mountainous and decidedly 
18* 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 417 

romantic. Liko all southern towns, it presents a dingy appearance, 
and shows evidence of neglect or decay. Among its buildings are some 
neat cottage residences and a few substantial structures of brick. The 
line of the railroad from Dalton to Chattanooga runs through the 
town. The railroad connects with the railroad lines to Cleveland and 
Atlanta. The inhabitants, both in their language and manners, and the 
manner in which they furnish their houses, show some considerable 
degree of taste and refinement. Many of the houses into which I went 
were neatly and even elegantly furnished. 

As you pass up the main street you come to the road, narrow and 
straight ahead, leading through Ringgold Gap. On either side of it 
rises the mountainous heights of "White Oak Ridge. This ridge extends 
along for a very considerable distance, forming a chain of low moun- 
tains. In fact, the whole of this region of country is but a succession 
of ridges, with narrow valleys between. The common or generally 
travelled roads converge to these gaps. These are so peculiarly pro- 
tected by the adjacent ridges, that two or three hundred men, posted on 
the ridges, with a section of artillery to sweep the gap, can hold an 
army in check until such time as preparation is made either to take the 
position by direct assault in front or by a flank movement, through 
other gaps in the same ridge, and an advance in the valley beyond. 

The enemy slowly retired towards the ridge and gap, and supposing 
them to be in small force, Osterhaus's Division pressed forward in line of 
battle with great gallantry. The enemy opened a scattering musketry 
fire from the top of the ridge, and also brought into action four pieces of 
artillery, that swept the gap and threw their shells into the town and our 
lines. Notwithstanding this, Osterhaus's men kept on their course, advanc- 
ing at quick time up the slope, on both sides of the gap. They had almost 
gained the summit, when the enemy showed its strength by delivering 
a terrific fire from the mountain top, at the same time succeeding in 
throwing a brigade each on the right and left of our lines. Our men 
stood their ground well, but at last had to slowly retire in consequence 
of the enemy's superior strength and position. The enemy finding our 
men falling back, followed them up with great persistency, and attempt- 
ed to drive them across the railroad line by making a charge, but did not 
succeed, as Osterhaus's men bravely held their own and kept their 
line unbroken. 

In this emergency Geary's Division, of the Twefth Corps, was 
ordered into action. General Geary at once ordered a brigade around 
on our left, to advance up the slope for the purpose of turning the 



4 



41 S GENERAL GRANT 

enemy's right. The General's orders were promptly obeyed. The brig 
ade got within about thirty yards of the crest, the Seventh Ohio being 
in the extreme advance (their skirmishers had even got on the crest), 
when the enemy, by a quick movement, massed a superior force agaiust 
it, and succeeded in delivering a cross fire, successfully enfilading their 
fine. The enemy's fire was so rapid and heavy that it was totally im- 
possible for so small a force to withstand it any length of time without 
being almost annihilated. Still they stood their ground firmly and 
nobly, when General Geary, seeing it was of no use for them to remain 
longer under such a heavy fire, they were withdrawn by his orders. In 
this advance, the Seventh Ohio lost all its officers, the regiment coming 
out of the action under command of a lieutenant. 

The enemy continuing to press our lines, two sections of a battery 
were got into position, and opened a rapid fire on the right and left of 
the rebel line. 

At this time, too, the Second and Third Brigades of Geary's Division 
were ordered up. Our fine then became extended in view of making 
an assault. 

The decisive moment came at last. The grand movement was made. 
Slowly our men advanced, and slowly the rebels retired towards the 
gap and up the mountain slope. Our artillery, too, kept up a steady 
fire, almost immediately silencing that of the enemy. Osterhaus's Divi- 
sion occupied the centre, one brigade of Geary's was on the extreme 
left and the other two on the extreme right. After much patient effort 
we outflanked the rebels on the right and left of the hills, gained these, 
and drove the remaining rebels from the gap, and held the latter posi- 
tion. In the final movements the rebels retreated in the most disor- 
derly manner. They did not all of them get away, as we took about 
three hundred prisoners. 

After the enemy were driven through and from the gap, we established 
our lines in the next valley beyond. The eDemy fell back to Tunnel 
Gap, situated in the succeeding ridge to that of White Oak. 

After Sherman made a junction with Palmer, on Friday morning, the 
Eleventh Army Corps, under command of Major-General Howard, was 
Bent off to the left to take Parker's Gap, this being situated on the 
enemy's right, and the second gap from Ringgold Gap in the same ridge. 
The position was taken and occupied without opposition, the enemy's 
scouting parties falling back without firing. During the battle of King- 
gold, the Eleventh Corps was in a position almost in the enemy's rear, 
and we could at any time have turned their right flank. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 419 

A. portion of the Eleventh Corps pressed on to the line of the Dalton 
And Cleveland Railroad, reaching Red Clay Station about dark. 

The object in destroying the railroad line at Red Clay was to prevent 
Longstreet from using it to make a junction with Bragg. Another 
point was, that if the cavalry failed of accomplishing its object at Cleve- 
land, we would carry out the design at Red Clay. 

General Grant had his head-quarters in the town of Ringgold on 
November 28th. The General was much pleased with the success of 
his plans, spoke freely on the subject, and was of opinion that this cam- 
paign had been successful to an almost extraordinary degree, and had 
been fruitful of results of the most unqualifiedly gratifying character. 
It was decided not to pursue the enemy further, as more important 
operations were afoot.* 

The rebels having retreated as far as Dalton, Ga., and 
finding the Union troops did not pursue further than Ring- 
gold, there turned and made a stand. General Bragg then 
telegraphed the following, four days after the pursuit 
had been given up : 

Dalton, Ga., December 2, 18G3. 
General Cooper, Richmond: 

The enemy have fallen back across the Chattanooga, destroying every 
thing in their route, including the railroad track and bridges. Their 
loss was heavy in their attack on our rear guard, under General 
Clayborn. 

Braxton Bragg. 

General Grant, by taking possession of Red Clay, Cleve- 
land, and Chattanooga, thus breaking the rebel railroad 
triangle the corners of which rest on Dalton, Cleveland, 
and Chattanooga, compressed the principal artery of the 
heart of the rebel confederacy, and smote it in its most 
vital part. 

* Army Correspondence. 



420 GENERAL GRANT 

I 



CHAPTER LIY. 

KNOXVILLE RELIEVED. 

While the operations described in the foregoing chap- 
ters were being carried out by Gen. Grant, the rebel 
General Longstreet was engaged in the investment of the 
city of Knoxville. Finding that General Bragg had been 
defeated below Chattanooga, Longstreet determined to do 
something to redeem his name from the obloquy that would 
attend it through being attached to Gen. Bragg' s command. 
He therefore on November 29th, 1863, made an assault up- 
on Fort Sanders and the other works around Knoxville. 
The assault proved a failure, and long before he could 
recover from the effects of the repulse, he found the Union 
columns were gathering around him, in such a manner that 
if he did not soon withdraw from his position he would be 
completely encircled by them. 

Gen. Foster's column was advancing from the North, 
and Gen. Granger's and other forces under Gen. Sherman 
from Chattanooga. This was the movement that caused 
the withdrawal of the troops from the pursuit of the rebels 
beyond Ringgold, Ga. 

Gen. Sherman's Cavalry arrived at Knoxville on Dec. 3, 
and on the night of Dec. 4, Gen. Longstreet raised the 
siege of that place, retreating eastward toward Virginia, 
pursued by both Foster and Sherman's Cavalry. 

On Dec. 1 it was telegraphed to Washington that Knox- 
ville had been relieved and re-enforced by Granger's Corp^, 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 421 

and that Longstreet was retreating. On the same day- 
President Lincoln issued the following proclamation of 
thanks giving : 

Executive Mansion. ) 
"Washington, D. C, Dec. 7, 1863. \ 
Reliable information being received that the insurgent force is retreat- 
ing from East Tennessee, under circumstances rendering it probable 
that the Union forces cannot hereafter be dislodged from that important 
position; and esteeming this to be of high national consequence, I 
recommend that all loyal people do, on receipt of this information, 
assemble at their places of worship, and render special homage and 
gratitude to Almighty God for this great advancement of the national 
cause. A. Lincoln. 

The President also sent the following dispatch to Major- 
General Grant : 

Washington, Dec. 8. 
Major-General Grant: 

Understanding that your lodgment at Chattanooga and Knoxville is 
now secure, / wish to tender you and all under your command my more 
than thanks — my profuundest gratitude for the skill, courage, and persever- 
ance with which you and they, over so great difficulties, have effected that 
important object. God bless you all 1 A. Lincoln. 

The above dispatch was embodied in an order by Gen. 
Grant, and so read to every regiment in his command. 

In reference to this brief but decisive campaign, Gen. 
Halleck added the following supplementary remarks to his 
annual report : 

Head-Quarters of the Army, ) 
"Washington, D. C, December 6, 1863. j" 

In compliance with your instructions I submit the following sum- 
mary of the operations of General Graut's army since my report of the 
15th ult. : 

It appears from the official reports which have been received here 
that our loss in the operations of the 27th, 28th, and 20th of October in 
reopening communications on the south side of the Tennessee River, 
from Chattanooga to Bridgeport, was 76 killed, 339 wounded, and 22 
missing ; total 437. The estimated loss of the enemy was over 1,500. 



422 



GENERAL GRANT 



As soon as General Grant could get up his supplies he prepared to 
advance upon the enemy, who had become weakened by the detachment 
of Longstreet's command against Knoxville. General Sherman's army 
moved up the north side of the Tennessee River, and during the nights 
of the 23d and 24th of November established pontoon bridges and 
crossed to the south side between Citico Creek and Chickamauga. On 
the afternoon of the 23d General Thomas's forces attacked the enemy's 
rifle-pits between Chattanooga and Citico Creek. The battle was re- 
newed on the 24th along the whole line. Sherman carried the eastern 
end of Missionary Ridge up to the tunnel, and Thomas repelled every 
attempt of the enemy to regain the position which he had lost at the 
centre ; while Hooker's force, in Lookout Valley, crossed the mountain 
and drove the enemy from its northern slope. 

On the 25th the whole of Mission Ridge, from Rossville to the 
Chickamauga, was, after a desperate struggle, most gallantly carried 
by our troops, and the enemy was completely routed. 

Considering the strength of the rebel position and the difficulty of 
storming his intrenchmeuts, the battle of Chattanooga must be considered 
the most remarkable in history. Not only did the officers and men 
exhibit great skill and daring in their operations on the field, but the 
highest praise is due to the commanding general for his admirable dis- 
positions for dislodging the enemy from a position apparently impregnable* 
Moreover, by turning his right flank and throwing him back upon 
Ringgold and Dalton, Sherman's forces were interposed between Bragg 
and Longstreet so as to prevent any possibility of their forming a 
junction. 

Our loss in killed, wounded, and missing is reported at about 4,000. 
We captured over 6,000 prisoners, besides the woanded left in our 
hands, forty pieces of artillery, five or six thousand small arms, and a 
large train. The enemy's loss in killed and wounded is not known. 

While Generals Thomas and Hooker pushed Bragg's army back into 



* General Scott is reported to have stated to a leading Washington 
official, with whom the old veteran fell into a very unreserved talk, that 
General Grant's operations displayed more military skill than any other 
general had exhibited on our side ; and he was the more surprised and 
mystified at it, as he could only remember him in the Mexican war as a 
young lieutenant of undoubted courage, but giving no promise whatever 
of any tiling beyond ordinary abilities. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 



423 



Georgia, General Sherman with his own and General Granger'' s forces was 
sent into East Tennessee to prevent the return of Longstreet and to relieve 
General Burnsid >, who was then besieged in Knoxville. "We have reliable in- 
formation that General Sherman has successfully accomplished his object, 
and that Longstreet is in full retreat towards Virginia. But no details 
hare been received with regard to Sherman's operations since he crossed 
the Hiwassee, nor of Burnside's defence of Knoxville. It is only known 
that every attack of the enemy on that place was successfully repulsed. 

Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

H. "W. Halleck, General-in-Chief. 

Hon. E. M. Stanton, Secretary of War. 

On December 5, 1863, General Burnside, the commander 
at Knoxville, issued a congratulatory order to his troops 
in reference to the raising of the siege, which had lasted 
about three weeks. 

An army correspondent writing from Knoxville, states 
as follows : 



Now that the campaign has developed itself, it may not be considered 
contraband information to say that, in holding Knoxville, General Burn- 
side has played an important part in the grand campaign of General Grant. 
Some incline to the belief that with the troops under his command, 
General Burnside could have checked Longstreet on the Tennessee 
River, and there kept him, transferring the scene of the contest from 
Knoxville to the vicinity of Loudon or Kingston. But by doing so Long- 
street would liave been within supporting dista.nce of Bragg. To draw him, 
therefore, still further away from Chattanooga, General Burnside slowly re- 
treated before him until he reached Knoxville, where, of course, his plan was 
to keep him in efforts to take the city ivhile General Thomas might fall upon 
and rout the army of Bragg, diminished as it ioos by the withdrawal of Long- 
streeCs command. How egregiously he fell into the trap, and how successfully 
tlie other portion of the programme was carried out at Chattanooga, are now 
fully known from the history of the past few weeks. Bragg, in the first 
place, has been thoroughly routed, and Longstreet, after vain efforts to 
capture this city by siege and assault, as an offset to the defeat of Bragg, 
has been compelled to raise the siege and retreat, an inglorious fugitive, 
towards Virginia. On Nov. 13, when Longstreet crossed his advance 



424 GENERAL GRANT 

guard over the Tennessee, it would have been an easy matter with General 
Burnside to have driven it back again, destroyed the pontoon bridges, and 
by planting his artillery on the hills this side of the river, prevented a recross- 
ing ; but the part assumed him by General Grant wasjfp lure his antagonist 
on. Longstreet discovered his mistake too late. Letters -written by 
his officers and captured by our forces, show that when the fighting 
commenced at Chattanooga he was extremely puzzled as to what part 
he should take. The capture of Knoxviile seemed a very difficult mat- 
ter, and he entertained ideas of abandoning the siege for the purpose of 
returning to Bragg ; but when the latter was defeated, and when he saw 
that Thomas was now between Bragg and himself, he endeavored to re- 
trieve the disaster in a measure by the capture of Knoxviile. Hence 
the desperate assault of the 29th ult. That he was preparing for another 
attack when our re-enforcements reached us vie have the best of evidence. So 
far as capturing the city is concerned, we know that he could not have 
done it by actual righting. The garrison was all sufficient in this respect. 
But, if unmolested in the siege, he might have starved us out, and hence 
the necessity of re-enforcements. It may be that the programme also 
embraced his rout, if not capture, before he could get away from Knox- 
viile. If so, he took the alarm in time, and is now well on his way to re- 
enforce Lee. How far he will succeed in escaping time will develop.* 

The rebels now began to be seriously worried about 
General Grant's movements, and the following article 
appeared in one of their principal journals : 

" Sallust," the well-informed and trustworthy correspondent of the 
Dispatch, telegraphing from Resaca, under date of December, 1S63, 
states, in substance, that the wagon roads are in a horrible condition, 
that the enemy cannot advance without the railroad, that they have no 
cars, and that the probabilities are that no movement in force upon Dal- 
ton and Atlanta will be made till next spring. With great general con- 
fidence in the accuracy of statement and correctness of judgment of this 
correspondent, we should, nevertheless, be exceedingly sorry to learn 
that his opinions are derived from the general now commanding the rem- 
nant of Bragg's army, and that they are shared by the President and 



* Army Correspondence. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 425 

War Department at Richmond. To count upon the tardiness of Grant's 
movements, in consequence of the condition of the turnpikes or the railroads, 
would be suicidal. Grant has proved that he can do what so few of our gene- 
rals have been able to accomplish— follow up a victory — in spite of natural 
obstacles; and it is certain that lie will not permit himself now to be stopped, 
either by mud or by a want of cars. These difficulties are by no means 
insurmountable. 

Every one remembers the sanguine predictions of the impossibility of car- 
rying on the siege of Vicksburg. Gentlemen owning plantations on which 
Grant's army was encamped before Vicksburg, declared that the soldiers 
would perish for lack of water, or die like sheep with the rot, from drink- 
ing such as they could obtain. Moreover, we were told that the mala- 
rious diseases of the climate would decimate his army, and compel him 
to raise the siege. Further, it was stated by the same reliable operator, 
who is now at work in Atlanta, cheering us with the assurance that the 
Yankees lost at least twenty thousand men in the assault on Lookout 
Mountain, that Grant had lost quite fifty thousand of the flower of his 
army in the various attempts to storm the intrenchments at Vicksburg. 
How utterly fallacious all these predictions and assertions proved ! The 
siege of .Vicksburg progressed steadily to its conclusion, without, so far as we 
have ever learned, any serious impediment ivliatever. In spite of water, cli- 
mate, diseases, and repeated repulses, Grant compelled Pemberton to sur- 
render in less than three months from the day the siege began. 

Shall we again be the dupes of ill-founded hopes ? Shall we rely for 
safety upon mud and not upon men ? ( Shall we trust to cars and not to 
energy ? Heaven forbid ! The railroad from Nashville to Chattanooga 
is, doubtless, now open, and trains running all the way through. On 
this railroad any quantity of cars and engines necessary to stock the 
road from Chattanooga to Atlanta, may be brought through in less than 
a week's time. Two weeks more will be all that Yankee activity and 
ingenuity will demand to complete the re-building of but ned bridges. 
But we doubt if Grant will await the arrival of cars and the completion of 
bridges. He has plenty of transportation, and the whole North behind 
him to supply horses and wagons as fast as they break down. 
****** 

What is to be done must be done without one moment's delay, and 
much must be given up in order that something may be saved. Grant's 
goal is Atlanta. He will be there before Christmas, and haif the cotton 
remaining in the Confederacy will be in his hands or destroyed, unless 



426 GENERAL GRANT 

a truly great general and a great army are placed athwart his path with- 
in three weeks from this day.* 

The Chattanooga-Knoxville campaign ended, General 

Grant issued the following congratulatory order to his 

command : 

Head-Quarters Military Division op the 
Mississippi, in the Field, 
Chattanooga, Tennessee, Dec. 10, 1863. 
[General Orders, No. 9.] 

The General Commanding takes this opportunity of returning his sin- 
cere thanks and congratulations to che brave armies of the Cumberland, 
the Ohio, the Tennessee, and their comrades from the Potomac, for the 
recent splendid and decisive successes achieved over the enemy. In a 
short time you have recovered from him the control of the Tennessee River 
from Bridgeport to Knoxville. You dislodged him from his great strong- 
hold upon Lookout Mountain, drove him from Chattanooga Valley, wrested 
from his determined grasp the possession of Missionary Ridge, repelled with 
heavy loss to him his repeated assaults upon Knoxville, forcing him to raise 
the siege there, driving him at all points, utterly routed and discomfited, be- 
yond the limits of the Stale. By your noble heroism and determined 
courage, you have most effectually defeated the plans of the enemy for 
regaining possession of the States of Kentucky and Tennessee. You 
have secured positions from which no rebellious power can drive or dis- 
lodge you. For all this the General Commanding thanks you collectively 
and individually. The loyal people of the United States thank and bless 
you. Their hopes and prayers for your success against this unholy re- 
bellion are with you daily. Tteir faith in you will not be in vain. Their 
hopes will not be blasted. Their prayers to Almighty God will be an- 
swered. You w ill yet go to other fields of 'strife; and ivith the invincible 
bravery and unflinching loyalty to justice and right which have character- 
ized you in the past, you will prove that no enemy can withstand you, ami 
that no defences, however formidable, can check your onward march. 

By order of Maj.-Gen. U. S. Grant. 

T. S. Bowers, A. A.-G. 

At the time General Grant issued the above order he 
was far from being in good health, as may be gathered 
from the following extract from a correspondent's letter: 

* Richmond (Yn.) Whig, December, 1SG3 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 



427 



General Grant is still suffering from his fall at New Orleans, has 
grown thin and stooping, and shows marks of so great a loss of health 
and strength as to create fear of his recovery, though he still works as 
indefatigably as ever. When it was announced at General Grant's head- 
quarters that Bragg had been removed and Hardee put in command of 
the rebel army, the General quietly remarked: "He is my choice," — 
an opinion that seems to be very generally entertained in both armies.* 

In connection with the foregoing paragraph it is neces- 
sary to state that General Bragg was removed from his 
command for his defeat at Chattanooga, and was tempora- 
rily succeeded by General Hardee. 

It was announced from Chattanooga on December 7th 
that General Grant had captured, from the commencement 
of the war up to that date, no less than four hundred and 
seventy-two cannon and ninety thousand prisoners, with 
small arms innumerable. 

The following remarks are reported to have been writ- 
ten by Colonel Ely S. Parker — Indian Sachem and Chief 
of the Tonawanda tribe and Seneca Nation of Indians, and 
who became a member of General Grant's staff — in rela- 
tion to the conduct of the commanding general during the 
battles around Chattanooga : 

I need not describe to you the recent battle of Chattanooga. The 
papers have given every possible detail concerning it. I may only say 
that I saw it all, and was in the five days' fight. Of General Grant's 
staff ODly one was wounded, a Lieutenant Towner, Assistant Chief of 
Artillery, whose parents formerly lived at Batavia, N. Y., but now of 
Chicago. It has been a matter of universal wonder in this army that Gen- 
eral Grant himself was not killed, and that no more ancid-nts occurred to his 
staff, for the General ivas always in the front (his staff with him, of 
course), and perfectly heedless of the storm of hissing bullets and scream- 
ing shell flying around him. His apparent want of sensibility does not 
arise from heedlessness, heartlessness, or vain military affectation, but 
from a sense of the responsibility resting upon him when in battle. "When 



428 GENERAL GRANT 

at Ringgold, we rode for half a mile in the face of the enemy, under an 
incessant fire of cannon and musketry, nor did we ride fast, but upon an 
ordinary trot, and not once do I believe did it enter the General's mind that 
he ivas in danger. I was by his side and watched him closely. In 
riding that distance we were going to the front, and I could see that he 
was studying the positions of the two armies, and, of course, planning 
how to defeat the enemy, who was here making a most desperate stand, 
and was slaughtering our men fearfully. After defeating and driving 
the enemy here we returned to Chattanooga. 

Another feature in General Grant's personal movements is, that he 
requires no escort beyond his staff, so regardless of danger is he. Roads 
are almost useless to him, for he takes short cuts through fields and 
woods, and will swim his horse through almost any stream that ob- 
structs his way. Nor does it make any difference to him whether he 
has daylight for his movements, for he will ride from breakfast until two 
o'clock in the morning, and that too without eating. The next day he will 
repeal the dose, until he finishes his work. Now such things come hard 
upon the staff, but they have learned how to bear it. 

General Grant has the reputation of being the best rider 
in the army ; and an eye-witness to his movements during 
the battle of Chattanooga relates that when he spurred 
from one portion of the Held to another, his staff very soon 
strung out like the tail of a kite. The General always 
leads. 

The following amusing incident took place during the 
Chattanooga campaign : During the dark days of the 
siege, when food and forage were scarce, and the ghastly 
corpses and bleached skeletons of starved mules lined the 
thoroughfares thereabouts, General Grant and Quarter- 
master General Meigs arrived in Chattanooga. Taking an 
airing on horseback one afternoon, they passed the carcass 
of a huge mule lying by the roadside, whose " ill-savor 
went up" before and around them. The hero of Vicks- 
burg removed his briar root from his lips, and remarked 
sorrowfully, " Ah, General, there lies a dead soldier of the 
Quartermaster's Department." "Yes, General," replied 



AXD niS CAMPAIGNS. 



429 



the Quartermaster General, in subdued tones, " in him you 
see the ' ruling passion strong iu death' exemplified, for 
the old veteran has already assumed the offensive." 

From a private letter from an officer the following inci- 
dent has been gleaned : 



A groat many prisoners have been brought in. The charge of the 
army on Mission Ridge astounded Bragg. Breckinridge's headquarters 
were on the Ridge, in full view of our troops. A lady who lives there 
told our troops the following: "Before you all came up here, I asked 
General Bragg, ' What are you going to do with me, General?' He 
says to me, ' Lord I madame, the Yankees will never dure to come up here.'' 
And," she added with a blubber, "it was not fifteen minutes till you 
were all around here." 



430 



GENERAL GRANT 



CHAPTER LV. 



HONORS TO GENERAL GRANT. — THANKS OF CONGRESS. — GOLD 
MEDAL. 

The intelligence of General Grant's victorious mountain 
campaign in Tennessee and Georgia-was announced in Wash- 
ington on the day of the first assembling of the United 
States Congress for 1863-'4. Mr. Washburne, the repre- 
sentative for Galena, in the House, immediately gave notice 
of the introduction of two bills, one " to revive the grade 
of Lieutenant-General of the army," and the other " to pro- 
vide that a medal be struck for General Grant, and that a 
vote of thanks be given him and the officers of his army." 

It did not require either any very acute mental penetration 
or a knowledge of the intimate relations of Congressman 
Washburne with General Grant, to understand the meaning 
afM bearing of the above bill for the revival of the grade of 
Lieutenant-General. The object was nothing more nor less 
than the elevation of Mnjor-General Grant to that position. 

It was not the intention of those who desired the further 
promotion of General Grant to take him away from his 
command, and substitute him for the General-in-Chief. It 
was their conviction that he would be most useful in the 
field, and hence they wanted him to remain at the head of 
his great army, but to exercise, at the same time, from the 
field, the functions of a General-in-Chief. 

Mr. Washburne's motion relative to the joint thanks of 
Congress and the Gold Medal did not require long deliber- 
ation. The members of both Houses were thoroughly con- 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 431 

vinced that General Grant deserved the thanks of the nation, 
and when that resolution was brought up, it was passed by 
both Congress and Senate without opposition, and received 
the President's signature within ten days of its introduction. 
It then became the first law of the session of 1863-4. 
The following is a copy of the official document : 

LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES. 
Passed at the First Session of the Thirty-eighth Congress. 
[Public Resolution No. 1.] 
Joint Resolution of thanks to Major-General Ulysses S. Grant and the 
officers and soldiers who have fought under his command during this 
rebellion ; and providing that the President of the United States shall 
cause a medal to be struck, to be presented to Major-General Grant in 
the name of the people of the United States of America. 
Be it resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled, That the thanks of Congress be 
and they hereby are presented to Major-General Ulysses S. Grant, and 
through him to the officers and soldiers who have fought under his com- 
mand during this rebellion, for their gallantry and good conduct in the 
battles in which they have been engaged ; and that the President of the 
United States be requested to cause a gold medal to be struck, with suit- 
able emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be presented to Major-Gen- 
eral Grant. 

Sec 2. And be it further resolved, That, when the said medal shall 
have been struck, the President shall cause a copy of this joint resolution 
to be engrossed on parchment, and shall transmit the same, together 
with the said medal, to Major-General Grant, to be presented to him in 
the name of the people of the United States of America. 

Seo. 3. And be it further resolved, That a sufficient sum of money to 
carry this resolution into effect is hereby appropriated out of any monoy 
in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated. 

SCHUYLER COLFAX, 
Speaker of the House of Representatives. 

H. HAMLIN, 
Vice-President of the United States and 
President of the Senate 

Approved December 17, 1883. 
** ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 



432 



GENERAL GRANT 



The resolution having become a law of the land, it was 
necessary that a design should at once be made for the 
meilal. The following by Leutze was announced* as the 
one selected by the committee having the matter in charge : 
" The obverse of the medal was to consist of a profile like- 
nnss of the hero, surrounded by a wreath of laurels ; his 
name and the year of his victories inscribed upon it, and 
the whole surrounded by a galaxy of stai's. The design 
for the reverse was original, appropriate, and beautiful. 
It was the figure of Fame seated in a graceful attitude on 
the American eagle, which, with outspread wings, seems 
preparing for flight. In her right hand she held the sym- 
bolical trump, and in her left a scroll on which were in- 
scribed the names of the gallant chief's various battles, 
viz.: Corinth, Vioksburg, Mississippi River, and Chat- 
tanooga. On her head was a helmet, ornamented in Indian 
fashion, with feathers radiating from it. In front of the 
eagle, its breast resting against it, was the emblematical 
shield of the United States. Just underneath this group, 
their stems crossing each other, were single sprigs of the 
pine and the palm, typical of the North and South. Above 
the figure of fame, in a curved line, the motto, "Proclaim 
Liberty throughout the Land." The edge was surrounded, 
like the obverse, with a circle of stars of a style peculiar to 
the Byzantine period, and rarely seen except in illuminated 
MSS. of that age. These stars were more in number than 
the existing States — of course, including those of the South 
— thereby suggesting further additions in the future to the 
Union." 

Other honors were paid him by societies, electing him 
honorary life member, &c. The following are selected as 
instances to show the manner in which he received these 
tokens of appreciation : 

* New York Evening Post. 



ANT> HIS CAMPAIGNS. 433 

At the anniversary of the Missionary Society of the Cin- 
cinnati Conference held in 1863, that body elected General 
Grant an honorary member. Rev. J. F. Marlay commu- 
nicated the fact to the General, and the following is his 
reply : 

Chattanooga, Bee. 1, 1863. 
Rev. F. Marlay, Secretary Society: 

Dear Sir: — Through you permit me to express my thanks to the 
society of which you are the honored secretary, for the compliment they 
have seen fit to pay me by electing mo one of its members. 

I accept the election as a token of ear net t svpport, by members of tlie 
Methodist Missionary Society of the Cincinnati Conference, to tlie cause of 
oui country in this hour of trial. 

1 have the honor to be, very truly, your obedient servant, 

U. S. Grant, Major- General U. S. A. 

The following interesting correspondence explains itself: 

Morristown, Dec. 9, 1863. 
To Major-General U. S. Grant : 

Dear Sir: — I have the pleasure of informing you that the church of 
which I am pastor, the Methodist Episcopal Church of this town, highly 
appreciating your services for your country, and rejoicing in the victories 
which God has wrought out through you and your noble army, and 
praying that you may be spared to see the end of this accursed rebellion, 
have contributed one hundred and fifty dollars ($150) to constitute you 
a life director of the Missionary Society of the M. E. Church. Will 
you please direct where we shall send your Certificate ? May God 
A.lmighty bless and keep you, and continue to crown your arms with 
victory and triumph 1 

With sincere admiration and respect, 

I am, dear General, yours truly, 

Lewis R. Dunn, 
Pastor of the M. E. Church, Morristown, X. J. 

Head-Quarters Mil. Dist. of toe Miss., ) 
Chattanooga, Tenn., Bee. 16, 1863. [ 

To the Rev. Lewis R. Dunn, 

Pastor of M. E. Church, Morristown, N. J. 
Sift: — In reply to your letter of Dec. 19th, to Maj.-Gen.U. S. Grant, 
he directs me to express his gratitude to the Christian people of Morria 
19 



434 GENERAL GRANT 

town for their prayerful remembrance of him before the throne of the 
Most High, and to thank them, through you, for the honor conferred 
upon him. Be good enough to send his Certificate of Membership to Mrs. 
U S. Grant, Louisville, Kentucicy. 

Very resp'y. your ob't ser't, 

J. II. Wilson', Brig.-Gen. 

On the thirteenth clay of January, 1864, the following 
resolution, moved by Mr. Reed, was adopted by the Legis- 
lature of the State of New York : 

Resolved, That the thanks of the people of this State be tendered to 
General Grant and his Army for their glorious victories in the valley of 
the Mississippi, and the still more glorious victory at Mission Ridge and 
Lookout Mountain, and that a certified copy of this resolution be forward- 
ed to General Grant. 

The Legislature of the State of Ohio also presented him 
with a vote of thanks. 

The following is the description of a handsome pair of 
revolvers in course of construction at the Colt's arm manu 
facturing establishment designed to be presented to General 
Grant : 

The handles are of black horn, beautifully polished, and the barreli 
magazines, and other steel parts are elaborately inlaid with pure gold, 
which is beaten into a design previously cut out of the steel. The other 
ornaments, guard, &c, are of a solid gold. The pair are to be enclosed 
la a handsome rosewood box, lined with velvet, and accompanied by all 
the tools, &c, belonging to them — the cartridge-boxes, kc, being manu- 
factured of silver. "When finished these pistols will equal any pair that 
has ever left the establishment.* 

* Hartford (Ct) Times. 



I 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 4?5 



CHAPTER LVL 

LIEUTENANT-GENERAL. CONGRESSIONAL NOMINATION". 

The bill introduced by Mr. Washburne for the revival 
of the grade of Lieutenant-General of the United States 
Army, having in the due course of business been read and 
referred to the military committee of the House of Con- 
gress, was slightly amended, and came up on February 
1st, 1864, for final action of that portion of the law-making 
power. 

The amended bill introduced was thus worded : 

Be it enacted by the Senate and Rouse of Representatives of the Unite. 
States of America in Congress assembled, That the grade of Lieutenant 
General be, and the same is hereby, revived in the Army of the Unite? 
States of America ; and the President is hereby authorized, whenever 
he shall deem it expedient, to appoint, by and with the advice and con- 
sent of the Senate, a commander of the army, to be selected, during 
war, from among those officers in the military service of the United 
States, not below the grade of Major-General, most distinguished for 
courage, skill, and ability; and who, being commissioned as Lieutenant- 
General, shall be authorized, under the direction of the President, to command 
the armies of the United States. 

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That the Lieutenant-General appoint- 
ed as hereinbefore provided, shall be entitled to the pay, allowances, and 
stafT specified in the fifth section of the act approved May 28th, 1798; 
and also the allowances described in the sixth section of the act approved 
August 23d, 1812, granting additional rations to certain officers : Provided, 
That nothing in this bill contained shall be construed in any way to 
affect the rank, pay, or allowances of Winfield Scott, lieutenant general 
r>y brovet, now on the retired list of the army. 



430 GENERAL GRANT 

Mr. Famsworth opened the debate by a recommendation 
that the bill should be passed that morning. 

Mr. Garfield, formerly chief of staff to General Rose- 
crans, having opposed the motion, 

Mr. Farnsworth addressed the House as follows : 

Mr. Speaker, the argument of my colleague of the Committee on Mil- 
itary Affairs who has just taken his seat, is a twofold argument. I un- 
derstand his first argument to be that the war has not progressed far 
enough, and that we have not given our generals in the field a sufficient 
term of trial to enable the President to select with proper judgment a 
man upon whom to confer the rank of lieutenant-general. 

His second argument is, that the General toward whom this legislation 
is directed is so great and so successful a general that it would be dangerous 
to take him from the field and put him in command of the entire Army of 
the United States. 

In answer to the first branch of the gentleman's argument I have only 
this to say: we are now very near to the close of the third year of this 
war, and while it is true that many generals in the army may be up to-day 
and down to-morrow, and that their fortunes fluctuate, is not true of the 
general to whom this legislation applies. His star has been steadily rising. 
He has been growing greater and greater day by day, rising from an ob- 
scure position, scarcely known out of the county in •which he resided. 
By his masterly ability he now stands, without saying any thing to the 
disparagement of other generals, head and shoulders over every other gene- 
ral in the Army of the United States. He has been tried, tried long 
enough ; and if his star were to go down to-morrow he has still done 
enough to entitle him to this prize. 

After some further debate Mr. Ross submitted the fol- 
lowing amendment, to be added to the act : 

And that we respectfully recommend the appointment of Major Gene- 
ral U. S. Grant for the position of lieutenant-general. 

On this amendment a spirited debate ensued in favor of 
General Grant, when Mr. Washburne took the floor and 
said: 

I had not intended to submit any remarks on this bill. I have made 
no preparation whatever to speak to its merits ; and if I had I should be 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 437 

unable to do so on account of the present state of my health. No subject 
of less importance than this, no bill in which I felt a less degree of in- 
terest, could have brought me to the House to-day. I had not looked 
for the opposition to the bill which has been manifested. The bill hav- 
ing been printed, and its provisions being very simple and easy of com- 
prehension. I supposed we should have come to a vote without extended 
debnte, as every member of the House had undoubtedly made up his 
mind as to how he would vote on the question. 

The proposition is to revive the grade of lieutenant-general, for the 
purpose of conferring it not only for the recognition of distinguished 
and exceptional services already rendered to the country, but for the 
practical purpose of investing full command of the army in the party 
receiving the appointment, in subordination, of course, to the Command- 
er-iu-Chief under the Constitution. I do not propose to enter upon 
the reasons whicli I supposed would control the House in passing this 
bill. Those reasons must suggest themselves to all men who love our 
country and the flag. They spring from the admiration which a great 
and magnanimous people must ever feel for deeds of heroism and for 
public service of untold value, and for which no reward can be esteemed 
too great. The question has been raised as to who will be appointed 
under the bill in the event of its passage. I take it there is no gentle- 
man upon this floor who has really any doubt upon whom this appoint- 
ment will be conferred. Under the language of the bill, referring to 
most eminent and distinguished service, I think one individual, and one 
individual alone, is pointed out so distinctly that no man can misunder- 
stand. 

A great deal has been said as to what might have happened if some 
such bill had passed two years ago; that such or such a man might 
have received the honor, and implying that the party upon whom the 
honor may be conferred under this bill may prove himself unworthy. 
How much, I woidd ask, is now to be required of a general before he 
can have the confidence of this House ? lias not General Grant earned 
that confidence, and proved himself worthy of full trust in the greatest posi- 
tions ? I demand to know ivhat would have teen our position as a nation 
in the present struggle had it not been for the achievements of General Grant? 
Where can you point to a series of greater triumphs than he has 
achieved, a more complete succession of victories, which are unsurpassed 
in histciy, and which for the brilliancy of their achievement, and in 
furtherance of the great cause in which he has so nobly fought, have 
jiade his name and his fame as lasting as the history of the nation? 



438 



GENERAL GKANT 



I have spoken of the interest I feel in this bill, but if I know myself 
it is a feeling that rises far above the considerations of personal friend- 
ship which I entertain for the distinguished soldier whose name lias 
been connected with it. I am not here to s})eo.k for General Grant. No 
man with his consent has ever mentioned his name in connection with any 
2)osition. I say what I know to be true when I allege that every pro- 
motion he lias received since he first entered the service to. put down 
this rebellion was moved without his knowledge or consent ; and in 
regard to this very matter of lieutenant-general, after the hill ivas intro- 
duced and his name mentioned in connection therewith, he wrote me and 
admonished me that he had heen highly honored already by the Government, 
and did not ask or deserve any thing more in the shape of honors or promo- 
tion ; and (hat a success over the enemy was what he craved above every 
thing eke; that he only desired to hold such an influence over those under his 
command as to use them to the best advantage to secure that end.* Such is 
the language of this patriotic and single-minded soldier, ambitious only 
of serving his country and doing his whole duty. Sir, whatever this 
House may do, the country will do justice to General Grant. We can see 
that. I think I can appreciate that myself. 

After the battle of Shiloh, a little less than two years ago, a wave of 
calumny and detraction swept over General Grant with a power that 
would have overwhelmed any man of less strength and courage. My 
neighbor and my friend, appointed upon my own recommendation, I 
sought in my place on this floor the earliest occasion to tell the country 
something of this general, denunciations of whom were ringing from 
one end of the country to the other. I believe I can say I scarcely had 
the sympathy of a single member on this floor in making that speech, 
which was only regarded as a somewhat extravagant defence of a 
friend. Willing to take the responsibility of standing by my record 
then, I now appeal to history for my justification, and ask if General Grant 
has not far transcended every thing that I claimed for him. 

It cannot certainly, Mr. Speaker, be necessary for me to enter into 
any detail of the services of General Grant to the country. They are 
as familiar as household words to our constituents, if not to us here. 
Why necessary to recount that long list of triumphs and of victories 
from Belmont to Lookout Mountain? Look at what this man has done 
for his country, for humanity and civilization — this modest and unpre- 
tending general whom gentlemen appear to be so much afraid of. Ee 



* Another evidence of General Grant's remarkably retiring modesty. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 439 

has fought more battks and won more victories than any man living; he 
has captured more prisoners and taken more guns than any general of 
modem times. To us in the great valley of the West he has rendered 
a service in opening our great channel of communication to the ocean, 
so that the great Father of Waters now goes " unvexed to the sea, "which 
endears him to all our hearts. Sir, when his blue legions crowned the 
crest of Vicksburg, and the hosts of reb.idom laid their arms at the feet of 
this great conqueror, the rebel confederacy was cut in twain and the back- 
bone of the rebellion broken. 

I speak of the fall of Vicksburg. I might speak of what went 
before. It was my good fortune to be with General Grant, and with 
that noble army, every man of whom is a hero, at the commencement of 
the expedition which culminated in the taking of Vicksburg. We all 
know how ill at ease the public mind was last winter pending General 
Grant's operations on the lower Mississippi. The expedition by Gren- 
ada, the opening of the canal, the opening of the bayous had not suc- 
ceeded : the country saw all the attempts to flank that stronghold 
likely to prove abortive, and there was great anxiety. But with un- 
shaken confidence in himself General Grant pursued the even tenor of his 
way, and with entire reliance upon his success in the plan finally 
adopted, and which could not be undertaken until the river and bayous 
should sufficiently recede to enable them to move. Then, sir, was seen 
that bold and daring conception which I say is wit/iout parallel in all mili- 
tary history. It was to send his army and his transportation by land on 
the Louisiana side from Milliken's Bend to a point below Vicksburg, and 
then run the frowning batteries of that rebel Gibraltar, with its hun- 
dreds of guns, with his transports, and thus enable him to cross the 
river below Vicksburg, and get on to the shores of Mississippi, *The 
country was startled at the success which attended the running of those 
batteries by the frail Mississippi steamboats used as transports, and the 
rebels stood aghast when they saw seven or eight transports and all of 
Porter's gunboats below Vicksburg. 

There was something in this matter of running those batteries by 
the transports which deserves more than a passing notice, as showing 
the indomitable spirit and courage of that magnificent army. Certain 
boats were detailed for the extraordinary and hazardous service of run- 
ning the batteries, but, with one exception, the crews of all the boats re- 
fused to go. The provost marshal was then ordered to beat up for vol- 
unteers. No sooner was the notice given than soldiers rushed in for the 
service, and at once many times the number that was called for was fill- 



440 



GENERAL GRANT 



ed — pilots, engineers, firemen, and deck-hands, in the greatest numbers 
offered themselves. From one regiment, known as the Lead Mine regi- 
ment, raised in my own section, no less than one hundred and sixteen 
men and sixteen commisioned officers volunteered for that dangerous 
yet glorious service. The consequence of all this was that rtsort was 
liad to lot as to who should have the privilege of risking life in that unparal- 
leled adventure. One nolle boy from my own city, who had. drawn tlte prize, 
was offered $100 in greenbacks for his chance, which he refused to take, but 
courageously held on and successfully passed not only the Vicksburg 
but the Grand Gulf batteries. What language can do justice to an 
army animated by such a spirit? "What triumphs and what glories 
might not justly be expected from it? 

The transports and gunboats below the batteries, the army reaches 
by land marches Perkins's plantation, twenty miles above, and Hard Times 
landing, nearly opposite Grand Gulf. It was supposed that Admiral 
Porter, who always seconded General Grant with a zeal equal to his 
courage and ability, could reduce the batteries at Grand Gulf, after 
which the troops were to be crossed over in the transports, and were 
to land and carry the place by assault. But after five hours and a half 
of the most desperate naval fighting ever seen upon this continent, the 
brave Porter drew off his shattered fleet, unable to effect a reduction of 
the principal battery. During all of this time the army had been wait- 
ing with intense impatience for the time to come when the guns of 
the batteries should be silenced and they could land, and great was the 
disappointment when it was known that the fleet had failed to reduce 
the works. It seemed then that all had miscarried, and that the expe- 
dition, on which so many hopes hung, would be a failure. 

At that moment was seen in General Grant that greatest of all gifts of a 
military man — the gift of deciding instantly amid the pressure of the great- 
est emergencies. I was with him when Porter reported his inability to 
reduce the batteries, and in an instant he made his new dispositions, and 
gave his orders. They were, to debark all his troops, and march them 
down three miles below Grand Gulf, "and," said he, "after nightfall I 
will run every transport I have below their batteries, and not one shall 
be injured." And, sure enough, when it became dark, Porter again at- 
tacked the batteries with his fleet, and amid the din and clatter of the 
attack, the transports all safely passed Grand Gulf. And, sir, it was a 
noble sight as this grand army was about to bivouac at Disharoon land- 
ing, three miles below Grand Gulf, with their camp fires burning brightly 
on that soft April night, when these transports, one by one, escaping all 



AND niS CAMPAIGNS. 441 

serious injury from the terrific tempest through which they had passed, 
rounded to, responding to eager inquiries, "All is well," and which 
was followed by such a shout as our brave and patriotic soldiers only 
can give. 

Early the noxt morning this whole army was again embarked on 
board the gunboats and transports, bound down tlie Mississippi, for 
'• Cowes and a market," for some place where a landing could be made on 
solid ground on the Mississippi side. And that was a proud spectacle 
when the grim old iron-clad Benton, the flag-ship of Admiral Porter, on 
which was General Grant, led the way down the river, the entire fleet 
and the transports following. She landed at a dilapidated plantation 
called Bruinsburg, and General Grant iv.is the first man to go ashore to 
se<k information, lie there met a loyal "American citizen of African 
descent," who gave him trustworthy information in regard to the coun- 
try and the roads into the interior. Instantly the debarkation of the 
troops commenced, and the line of march taken up toward Port Gibson. 
Before two o'clock the next morning, May 1, 18G3, the enemy was en- 
countered, and the battle of Port Gibson, the first of the series resulting 
in the capture of Vicksburg, was fought during that whole day, ending 
finally in the complete rout of the enemy. 

And that which must ever be regarded by the historian as the most 
extraordinary feature of this campaign, is the astounding fact that when 
General Grant landed in the Slate of Mississippi and made his campaign in 
the enemy's country, he had a smaller force than the enemy. There he 
was, in the enemy's country, cut off, in a measure, from his supplies, 
with a great river in his rear, and in one of the most defensible of coun- 
tries, through which he had to pass. To his idomitahle courage and en- 
ergy, to his unparalleled celerity of movement, striking the enemy in detail, 
and heating him on every field, is the country indebted to those wonderful 
successes of that campaign which have not only challenged the gratitude 
and admiration of our own countrymen, but the admiration of the 
best military men of all nations. My colleague [Mr. Farnsworth] has 
well said that General Grant is no " carpet knight." If gentlemen could 
know him as I know him, and as his soldiers know him, they would not 
be so reluctant about conferring this honor. If they could have seen him 
as I saw him on that expedition; if they could have witnessed his terri- 
ble earnestness, his devotion to his duty, liis ca,t., his vigilance, and his un- 
challenged courage, I think their opposition to this bill would give way. 

When he left his head-quarters at "Smith's plantation," below Vicks- 
burg, to enter on that great campaign, ho did not take with him the 
19* 



442 



GENERAL GRANT 



trappings and paraphernalia so common to many military men. As all 
depended on quickness of movement, and as it was important to be en- 
cumbered with as little baggage as possible, he set an example to all w6- 
dor him. lie took with him neither a horse, nor an orderly, nor a servant, 
nor a camp chest, nor an overcoat, nor a blanket, nor even a clean shirt. 
His entire baggage for six days — I was with him at that time — was a 
tooth brush. He fared like the commonest soldier in his command, par- 
taking of his rations and sleeping upon the ground, with no covering 
excepting the canopy of heaven. How could such a soldier fail to inspire 
confidence in an army, and to lead it to victory and to glory? Confer 
upon him the rank contemplated by this bill, and you excite the enthu- 
siasm of all your armies, and all your soldiers will be eager to follow his 
victorious banners ! 

But, gentlemen say, wait and confer this rank when the war is over. 
Sir, I want it conferred now, because it is my most solemn ancj earnest 
conviction that General Grant is the man upon whom we must depend to figlit 
out this rebellion in the field, and bring (his ivar to a speedy and trium- 
phant close. It is said that he will have to leave his army if this rank is 
conferred upon him and come to "Washington. Let me say to gentlemen 
that they need have no uneasiness upon that score. General Graiit, if 
this appointment shall be conferred upon him, will never leave the field, 
bat he will be with his army wherever his presence is most needed ; he will 
be with his soldiers to lead them on in this gigantic struggle to preserve 
our God-given Government, in which he, in common with all loyal men, 
has so great an interest. 



After a few brief remarks from other members, Mr. 
Ross's amendment was carried by 117 votes against 19. 
The bill so amended was finally passed and sent to the 
Senate for their action. 

The Senate having confirmed the bill, so far as it revived 
the grade of Lieutenant-Generals, and the President hav- 
ing, on March 1st, approved the same, Major-General 
Ulysses S. Grant was nominated by President Lincoln for 
that high rank. On the 2d of March, 1804, the nomina- 
tion was confirmed by the Senate in Executive Session, 
and he became the ranking officer of the United States 
Army. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 



443 



CHAPTER LVII. 



PREPARING FOR A NEW CAMPAIGN. 



General Grant had no sooner finished one campaign 
before he began making his plans for another still more 
brilliant. He forwarded to Washington his views of the 
way the war in the southwest should be conducted to in- 
sure the earliest and most complete suppression of the 
rebellion. What these views are in detail will be devel- 
oped by time ; but among other recommendations that of 
a concerted movement of all our armies under one policy, 
and, so far as practicable, under one direction, was the 
principal feature of General Grant's project. 

In alluding to this plan, a correspondent at Chattanooga 
wrote as follows : 

Assuming that it is true that, General Grant has forwarded to 
Washington his plan— and whether he has or not can be ascertained by 
inquiry at the proper department— no one will question his title to do 
so, or the weight his recommendations should have. Standing before 
the country the first General in the field, with results proving his great 
abilities, almost marvellous, it is not to be supposed for an instant that 
his views will fail to excite the greatest interest. To suppose that they 
will not enter 'largely into the future conduct of the war is to imply a 
disposition to deny him the influence his great services entitle him to 
have, and a suspicion that the powers at Washington are inimical to 
the General, whom the country recognizes as not only having done 
most, but as best qualified to give counsel. It may, therefore, con- 
fidently be expected that the future movements of our armies and the 
policy that will prevail in the campaigns to follow, will be much in ac- 
cordance with the suggestions of General Grant. 



444 



GENERAL GRANT 



I do not pretend to speak from authority. If General Grant has not 
presented his views nothing will be heard of theni at Washington. If 
he lias, we may safely assume that no time will be lost in giving them 
that consideration to which the great eminence of the author entitles 
them.* 

The Congress at Washington, however, gave evidence 
of their desire to forward General Grant's plans, and 
Senator Howe, of Wisconsin, offered the following joint 
resolution on the 7th of January, 1864, under the plea of 
releasing the prisoners within the rebel lines : 

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives in Congress 
assembled : 

Sec. 1. That the President of the United States is hereby authorized and 
requested to cad out and arm, one million of volunteers to serve for the period 
of ninety days unless sooner discharged, and to be employed to carry 
food and freedom to every captive held in rebel prisons, and to plant the 
flag of the United States upon every prison they occupy. 

Sec. 2. That the President be requested to assign Major- General Ulysses 
S. Grant to the command of the forces raised under this call, together with 
such of the forces now in the field as may be joined with them, and he is 
hereby authorized to detail for the subordinate commands in the forces 
to be raised under the authority of these resolutions, such officers or 
privates now in the field as he may deem best qualified therefor ; or he 
may assign to such commands any person or persons who may vol- 
unteer under the same authority ; provided, however, that any officer 
or private, now in the military service of the United States, who may 
be detailed to any such command by authority hereby, shall receive no 
additional pay for such substituted service ; and no volunteer, under 
the same authority, who shall be detailed to any such command, shall 
receive more pay than the pay of a private. 

In the mein time General Grant devoted his attention 
to the minor duties connected with his immediate depart- 
ment. 

Manv of the rebel troops finding that all hope for the 
establishment of a Southern Confederacy had passed away, 

* New York Times, December, 1863. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 



445 



and that whenever General Grant moved victory was al- 
ways his constant attendant, hegan to desert from their 
ranks, and came within the Union lines in large numbers. 
To prevent them from being retaken and summarily pun- 
ished by the rebel authorities, the commanding General 
issued the following order for their disposition and pro- 
tection : 

Head-Quarters Military Division of } 

the Mississippi, in the Field, V 

Chattanooga, Tenn., December 12, 18G3. J 

[General Orders, No. 10.] 

To obtain uniformity in the disposition of deserters from the Con- 
federate armies coming within this military division, the following order 
is published: 

I. All deserters from the enemy coming within our lines will be con- 
ducted to the commander of division or detached brigade who shall be 
nearest the place of surrender. 

II. If such commander is satisfied that the deserters desire to qu*t 
the Confederate service, he may permit them to go to their homes, \f 
within our lines, on taking the following oath: 

THE OATH. 

" I do solemnly swear in the presence of Almighty God, that I will 
henceforth faithfully support, protect, and defend the Constitution of 
the United States and the Union of States thereunder, and that I will 
in like manner abide by and faithfully support all acts of Congress 
passed during the existing rebellion with reference to slaves, so long 
and so far as not yet repi aled, modified, or held void by Congress or by 
decision of the Supreme Court, and that I will in like manner abide by 
and faithfully support all proclamations of the President made during 
the existing rebellion having reference to slaves, so long and so far as 
not modified or declared void by decision of the Supreme Court, so help 
me God. „ 

" Sworn and subscribed to before me at this day of lbb . 

III. Deserters from the enemy will at once be disarmed, and their 
arms turned over to the nearest Ordnance OfiQcer, who will account for 
them. 

IV. Passes and rations may bo given to deserters to carry them to 
their homes, and free passes over military railroads and on steamboats 
in Government employ. 



446 



GENERAL GRANT 



V. Employment at fair wages will, when practicable, be given to 
leserters by officers of the Quartermaster and Engineer Departments. 

To avoid the danger of re-capture of such deserters by the enemy, they will 
\e exempt from the 'military service in the armies of the United States. 

By order of Major-General TJ. S. Grant. 

T. S. Bowers, A. A.-G. 

General Grant also issned an order that " no encourage- 
ment will be given to traders or army followers, who have 
left their homes to avoid enrollment or the draft, and to 
speculate upon the soldiers' pay; and this class of persons 
will not be tolerated in the armies of the Military Di- 
vision of the Mississippi." 

He also promulgated orders for the better protection of 
the property of loyal citizens residing within the rebellious 
States, and for the proper seizure of the effects of rebels 
forfeited to the United States under the special act of Con- 
gress passed for that purpose. 

The following are the orders alluded to : 

Head-Quarters Military Division of 

the Mississippi, in the Field, 
Chattanooga, Tenn., December 13, 1863. 
[General Orders, No 11.] 

All Quartermasters within the Military Division of the Mississippi 
who now have, or may hereafter receive, moneys for rents accruing 
from abandoned property, or property known to belong to Secessiouists 
within this Military Division, are hereby directed to pay such moneys 
into the hands of the nearest Treasury Agent, taking his receipt there- 
for, excepting such sums out of said moneys so collected as may be 
requisite to pay the necessary expenses of collection and the taxes due 
the United States upon the same. 

Any property now held by any Quartermaster, and upon which rents 
are collected by him, shall, when satisfactorily proven to belong to 
loyal citizens, be restored to the possession of the owners, together 
with all moneys collected for rents upon the same, excepting only 
such sums as may be required to pay the necessary expenses of collec- 
tion, and the taxes due to the United States upon the same. 

Department and Corps Commanders and Commandants of Military 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 



447 



Posts and Stations within this Military Division, are hereby required and 
directed, whenever called upon by proper authority, to promptly afford, 
all necessary assistance in enforcing the collection of the taxes due 
upon all property within this command. 

Corps Commanders within this Military Division are directed to 
immediately seize, or cause to be seized, all County Records and docu- 
ments showing titles and claims to' property within the revolted States 
in their respective districts, and hold the same until they can be deliv- 
ered to an authorized Tax Commissioner of the United States. 

Where property is used by the Government without paying rent, 
the collection of taxes on it will be suspended until further orders. 

By order of Major-General U. S. Grant 

T. S. Bowers, A. A.-G. 

Head-Quarters Military Division op 
the Mississippi, in the Field, 
Chattanooga, Tenn., December 1G, 1SG3. 

[General Orders, No. 12.] 

1. All seizures of private buildings will be made by the Quarter- 
master's Department, on the order of the commanding officer. The 
buildings of disloyal persons alone, will be taken to furnish officers with 
quarters, and the need for public offices and storehouses must be sup- 
plied in prefereuce. 

2. When the urgent exigencies of the service require it, the buildings 
of loyal persons may be taken for storehouses and offices, but only 
after all suitable buddings belonging to disloyal persons have been 

seized. 

3. In the seizure of buddings, the owner will be allowed to retain all 
movables except the means of heating. 

4. All officers wiU remain in the immediate vicinity of their com- 
mands, and if having a less command than a division or a post, when 
the command is in tents they will occupy tents themselves. 

5. Commanding officers are prohibited from quartering troops in 
houses, without the special written authority of the General command- 
ing the Corps or Department to which they belong. 

G. In furnishing quarters to officers not serving with troops, the 
Quartermaster's Department will be governed by existing regulations. 

7. Ten days after the receipt and distribution of this order, Corps 
Commanders will cause an inspection of their commands to be made by 
their Assistant Inspectors General, and will arrest and prefer charges 
against every officer who may be occupying quarters not assigned tn 



448 



GENERAL GRANT 



him by the Quartermaster's Department, or in violation of paragraph 4 
of this order. 

By order of Major-General U. S. Grant. 

T. S. Bowers, A. A.-G. 

General Grant, ever mindful of the comforts of the sol- 
diers under his command, ordered the following important 
notice to be sent on Dec. 22, 1863, from the office of the 
Chief Quartermaster at Louisville, Ky., to prevent any 
stoppage of the supplies to his army : 

All requisitions made by Captain J. A. Potter, Assistant Quarter- 
master United States Army, for military supplies, will be immediately 
and promptly filled. 

In case of delay or refusal on the part of any railroad, Captain 
Potter is authorized to take such means as may be necessary to enforce 
compliance. 

By order of Major-General U. S. Grant. 

Robert Allen, Brig.- Gen. and Chief Quartermaster. 






AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 449 



CHAPTER LYIII. 

GEN". GRANT PERSONALLY INSPECTS HIS GRAND DEPARTMENT. 

Having thus secured all that appeared at that time to 
require his personal attention, General Grant determined to 
visit the outposts of his department, and left Chattanooga 
for Nashville. 

An army correspondent at the former place thus records 
his departure : 

Gen. Grant left Chattanooga yesterday on the noble and fast-sailing 
government steam packet Point Rock, en route for Nashville and Louis- 
ville. Head-quarters of the Military Division of the Mississippi will 
soon be established in the last-named town. Gen. Sherman accom- 
panied him. 

Gen. Grant has not yet entirely recovered from the effect of the 
injuries received by the fall from his horse last summer, and the sickness 
has made sad work with his once robust frame. He walks slowly, 
sometimes with a cane, and has come to stoop a very little. But 
the cheery look, which brightens into a cordial smile so rapidly, does 
not convey any idea of suffering. The soldiers and sub-officers at 
Chattanooga will miss him very much; for they had cause to know hira 
from his daily walk in the streets among them. "Then, Grant is so 
easy to approach" say they. If a sub-officer or private wishes to gain 
the private ear of the General, and the request is well founded, it is not 
necessary to wade through a "regular channel!" of thirty-two gorgeous 
and curt staff officers to see the chief. General Grant will have no one 
between him and his army but his adjutant, Brigadier- General Raiolings, 
who is a hearty, jovial, plain-spoken, hard-working staff officer, just 
Buch as is indispensable to an energetic chief like " Old Vicksburg."* 



450 



GENERAL GRANT 



Another correspondent announces Gen. Grant's arrival 
at Nashville in the following language : 

The first soldier of the times, the hero of Donelson, Vicksburg, and 
Missionary Ridge, is also here. General Grant arrived on Saturday 
last, December 20, 1863, occupying for a few days his head-quarters on 
High street, the same once occupied by General Rosecrans, being the 
mansion of the well-known rebel, George Cunningham, and one of the 
stateliest in Nashville. The General is a man of medium height, rather 
spare than otherwise, and of far less pretentious appearance than many 
a second lieutenant frequently seen flashing his finery before the eyes 
of wondering beholders. His apparel is plain, and a trifle, perhaps, 
neglige, as a man of his celebrity can very well afford that it should be 
. — or, perhaps, just come in from the engrossing cares and toils of a 
brilliant field, the spruce exterior of the martinet seemed specially un- 
worthy of attention. His face is but little striking. Dark brown hair 
surmounts a brovj straight and square, though of no unusual apparent 
capacity. His blue eyes are sharp and expressive, while his nose, not 
quite straight enough for Grecian, is delicate as well as bold in outline. 
A short-cut reddish beard and mustache conceal mouth and chin, which 
one is sure, from the general contour, must express decision and energy. 

This countenance seen in repose, with the smoke of a Havana (General 
Grant is no exception to the all but universal practice in the army of 
using the fragrant weed) curling up around it, who would be likely to 
identify it as belonging to the most successful of all our warriors, par 
excellence, and beyond a doubt the greatest? Simplicity, indeed, as well 
in dress as in address and manner, though not inseparable from real 
greatness, is its most frequent and appropriate attendant. General Grant 
has the substantial without the showy. Simple as a child, modest and «?i- 
assuming, of high honor and blameless integrity, no man could wear more 
becomingly the clustering chaplets he has so gloriously earned. The 
President may well felicitate himself in having retained General Grant 
in command against the strongest pressure for his removal. The result 
has fully vindicated the President's discernment and sagacity, and se- 
cured a leader to our armies in whom they and the whole country re- 
pose a confidence hardly second to that which the Chief Magistrate him- 
self enjoys. "With such a leader the future will be sure to have other 
great successes in store, and the campaign about to open, to harbingsr 
the rebellion's speedy downfall.* 




AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 451 

The commander did not stay longer at Nashville than 
was necessary to secure active work on the railroad com- 
munications with Chattanooga, and in a few days his de- 
parture was announced for Knoxvillc. He had heard that 
the communications with that post had been much cut up 
and endangered, and, therefore, after a brief stay, he left 
the State capital for that point of his department. 

While at Knoxville he felt desirous of ascertaining the 
condition of the roads between that place and Louisville, 
by way of Cumberland Gap, and he resolved upon making 
a personal examination of that line of travel. 

The following dispatch will show the amount of hardship 
he endured to gain the desired information, and his recep- 
tion along the route : 

Louisville, Ky., January 11, 18G4. 

General U. S. Grant arrived here this afternoon from Knoxville, having 
just completed a six days' campaign against Jack Frost. He and his staff 
left Knoxville on the 5th instant, and crossed the country by way of 
Cumberland Gap, Barboursville, Big Hill, Richmond, and Lexington, to 
this city, having to encounter the coklest weather and deepest snovj known 
there for thirty years. The trip was a most terrible one— the officers 
having to walk a great part of the way, driving their nearly frozen ani- 
mals before them. The descent of the Gap and of Big Hill is represented 
to have been not only difficult but dangerous, and had an army been com- 
pelled at this time to cross those mountains the task would not have 
been much less terrible than Macdonald's passage of the Spleigen. 
General Grant had a much easier and shorter route to Nashville by way 
of Chattanooga ; but he. chose this difficult and dangerous one solely from, a 
desire to fee for himself the capabilities of the country and route for supply- 
ing General Foster's army. It is this personal attention to important de- 
tails and his aggressive style of warfare which is the secret of General 
Grant's great success. This difficult journey, undertaken at this time, is 
indicative of the indomitable energy of the man. 

At Lexington, Kentucky, General Grant met with a spontaneous recep- 
tion from the citizens. Tho town was crowded with the country visitors, 
and nothing would satisfy them but a speech. The General, however, 
contented himself with making his appearance. The people insisted on 



452 



GENERAL GRANT 



his getting upon a chair that he might be seen to better advantage, and, 
half pushed by General Leslie Coombs, General Grant mounted tbe im- 
provised rostrum. General Coombs then introduced him in a neat little 
speech, in which he said that "General Grant had told him in confidence 
— and he would not repeat it — that he never had made a speech, knew 
nothing about speech-making, and had no disposition to learn." After 
satisfying the curiosity of the people, but without ever having opeued 
his mouth, General Grant dismounted from his chair and retired, amid 
the cheers of the assemblage. 

His arrival at the Gait House was not genere.lly known, and few who 
had not looked at the books suspected that tbe little man in faded blue 
overcoat, with heavy red whiskers and keen, bright eyes, the hero of the 
two rebel Gibraltars of Vicksburg and Chattanooga, stood before them. 
This people have been so used to and surfeited with brilliantly dressed and 
cleanly shaven staff officers, with every pretence star or double star that 
has flitted across this horizon, that they never dreamed of recognizing in 
the blue overcoated men -who figured in the scene with him, the ad- 
mirable and hard-working staff-officers who have aided in no little de- 
gree to General Grant's success. General Grant was accompanied by 
General Wilson, Colonel Duff, Colonel T. S. Bowers, and others of his 
staff. The party are to leave in the morning train for Nashville, where 
General Grant establishes his head-quarters for the present.* 

On the 12th of January, 1864, a telegraphic dispatch an- 
nounced that railroad communication was opened between 
Louisville and Chattanooga. A private letter from Chat- 
tanooga states that when the first train of cars from Bridge- 
port arrived at the military post, the fact caused the 
greatest rejoicing throughout the whole army, and that 
our soldiers, who had for so many months been on short 
radons were soon revelling in plenty. 

General Grant immadiately began the collection of a 
large amount of supplies at Chattanooga preparatory to 
the opening of the spring campaign. 

The following extract will give some idea of the laboi 
required to effect this desirable result : 



* Dispatch to the New Tork Herald. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 



453 



An announcement of great importance appeared in our Chattanooga 
dispatch of yesterday. It was, that at the close of this week the cars 
would run through to Chattanooga. Only those thoroughly informed of 
the vast amount of labor required to get the road in order will appreciate 
the victory that has been won by our soldiers and mechanics. The heavy 
force that has been employed in building the bridge over the Tennessee 
River and Falling Waters was next used to put the road in perfect order 
from Nashville to Bridgeport. This road had heretofore been in a 
n wretched condition. The track had been constantly giving way, and 
the trains have been badly damaged by accidents. The utmost energy 
was displayed to make this road first-class, and equip it so that not only 
can our army at Chattanooga be thoroughly supplied, but provisions and 
ammunition, pork, bread, salt, cartridges, clothing— th^ necessaries of 
life for a great army — be accumulated for next spring's campaign. The 
road swarmed with laborers from end to end, until this was accomplished. 
With a good road, the furloughed soldiers can be sent home promptly, and 
the trains returned ponderous with military indispensables. It was no less 
important to General Grant than the reorganization and re-enforcement 
of his army, that the railroad should be efficient. It would be vain to 
gather the manly strength of the nation at Chattanooga if we could not 
6end to that point that which is needed to provide the men for the pres- 
ent, and give them a depot of supplies for the future. Therefore, we 
regard the construction of the road to Chattanooga as a significant victory. 
It means as much in the direction of overcoming the rebellion, as if we 
had gained another battle in East Tennessee or Northern Georgia* 

On the 13th of January General Grant was in Nashville, 
having made the circuit of his deparment in the most in- 
clement season of the year. 

It was by this personal superintendence of every little 
detail that he has heretofore been victorious, and was en- 
abled to prepare for a vigorous campaign at the opening 
up the spring of 1864. 

A Washington correspondent sent the following para- 
graph to a prominent daily paper during February, 1864 : 

An officer just in from General Grant's head-quarters states that all 
through the country to the rear of the Union lines a Union officer, inhisuni- 

* Cincinnati Commercial, January 14, 18G-4. 



454 



GENERAL, GRANT 



form, can ride unmolested to any portions of Mississippi, Tennessee, and Ala- 
buma, halting at farm-houses along the road for such refreshments and slielter 
as he may desire* 

What an evidence of the superiority of manngement of 
the departments in that region is set forth in the foregoing 
short paragraph. 

The following, concerning the manner in which the com- 
mander of the forces in the Southwest carries out his cam- 
paigns, appeared recently in a public journal : 

General Grqgit appears to have been acting from the beginning of his 
first campaign upon a fixed principle — to take away from the rebels ivhat- 
ever they declare themselves least able to spare. In January, 1S62, it was 
rumored that the rebel capital would presently be removed to Nash- 
ville. Grant determined to be beforehand with Davis, moved upon the 
works of Fort Donelson, and after very unhandsomely capturing the 
garrison, with General Buckner, took possession of Nashville. 

Next Mr. Davis announced to all the world that the fate of the Con- 
federacy depended upon the fate of Vicksburg. Hereupon Grant 
moved down and captured that place. 

East Tennessee was next declared to be absolutely necessary to the 
safety of the rebel cause. The untiring Grant no sooner heard this than 
he sent Sherman to Knoxville to drive off Longstreet, and leisurely 
drove Bragg away fiorn Chattanooga, f 



* New York Tribune. \ New York Evening Post, Feuruary, 18G4. 



AND His CAMPAIGNS. 45; 



CHAPTER LIX. 

GENERAL GRANT AT ST. LOUIS. — PUBLIC DINNER. 

On the 26th of January, 1864, having satisfied himself 
that all was right in his grand department, General Grant 
visited the city of St. Louis, for the purpose of seeing his 
child, who was there lying sick. 

The knowledge of General Grant's arrival in that city 
was gained by some visitors inspecting the book of the 
hotel where he had put up. The entry was simply as fol- 
lows: 

" U. S. Grant, Chattanooga." 

That entry, modest and simple as it was, spoke volumes ; 
for, hidden under those seven letters that composed his 
name and initials, lay unseen the titles of " Major-General 
of the United States Army," " Conqueror of Vicksburg and 
Chattanooga," " Grand Commander of the Military Divi- 
sion of the Mississippi." It did not require to be written, 
for it was all embraced in " U. S. Grant." 

As soon as it became known that General Grant was 
really in St. Louis — it had been doubted by many that so 
great a general could have entered their city without a 
brilliant escort, or his advent being heralded by a flourish 
of trumpets and rolling of drums — the citizens prepared to 
give him a reception worthy of his deeds. No occasion 
had occurred since the commencement of the war in which 
St. Louis had more cheerfully united to do honor to one 
worthy of the gratitude of all. 



450 



GENERAL GRANT 



The following invitation to a public dinner was tendered 
to General Grant by the citizens of St. Louis : 

St. Louis, January 27, 1864. 
To Major-General U. S. Grant: 

Dear Sir: — Your fellow -citizens of St. Louis, in common with all the 
loyal men of the republic, have witnessed with the highest admiration 
your patriotic devotion, unsurpassed services, and commanding success 
in the various military positions occupied by you from the commence- 
ment of the existing war. They remember the alacrity with which you 
sprang to arms at the first call of your country, placing yourself at its 
disposal to aid in suppressing this most unjustifiable and gigontic rebel- 
lion. As citizens of Missouri they can never forget the promptness and 
skill with which you aided in defending this State at the beginning of the 
conflict, when the means at the command of those in authority wero 
wholly inadequate to the great work committed to them ; and as citizens 
of the great valley of the Mississippi, they owe you unbounded gratitude, 
not only for the first signal victories which, under your auspices, crowned 
our arms, and thrilled the nation with joy, but also for those later and 
unparalleled triumphs which gave again freedom to Western commerce, 
from the sources of its great rivers to the Gulf. Not with moie certainty 
is the indivisibility of the Mississippi Valley proclaimed by its geographi- 
cal features than by the devoted loyalty of the Northwest, which de- 
mands that from the lakes to the Gulf, along its broad rivers and over 
its fertile plains, only one flag shall be known, and that the glorious ban- 
ner of our republic — "one and indivisible." You have borne that flag 
victoriously with your heroic legions until the Mississippi goes "unvexed 
to the sea;" and looking down from the mountain heights of Tennessee 
upon the States between you and the Gulf in one direction, and the 
Atlantic in the other, you have, with the inspiration which the past 
glories of that State should ever arouse, made at Chattanooga a glorious 
response to that grand utterance of an immortal hero, which crushed 
out incipient rebellion years gone by, " The federal Union : it shall bo 
preserved." 

As citizens of a republic consecrated to constitutional liberty, and 
duly appreciating the destinies of the future for our own and other lands 
which hang upon the results of the present conflict, we glory in the 
brilliant deeds and unparalleled triumphs of yourse'lf, officers, and meu. 
To you and the gallant soldiers whom you have led a nation's honoi 
aud gratitude are due. 



ASTD niS CA3IPAIGNS. 457 

In the name of ourselves and St. Louis, we earnestly request that you 
will, before leaving the city— once your home— meet your fellow citizens 
at a public dinner, where old personal friendships may be renewed and 
new ones formed, and where congratulations over the successes of the 
past and the hopes of the future may be freely interchanged. 

We have the honor to be, with sentiments of profound regard, your 
obedient servants. 

(Here follow the names of the subscribers.) 

General Grant accepted the invitation, and forwarded 
the following written reply to the foregoing document ■ 

•> St. Lotjis, Mo., Jan. 27, 18G4. 

Colonel John O'Fallan, TJon. John How, and citizens of St. Louis : 

Gentlemen : — Your highly complimentary invitation " to meet old 
acquaintances and make new ones," at a dinner to be given by citizens 
of St. Louis, is just received. 

J will state that I have only visited St. Louis on this occasion to see a sick 
child. Finding, however, that he has passed the crisis of his disease 
and is pronounced out of danger by his physicians, I accept the invita- 
tion. My stay in this city will be short— probably not beyond the 1st 
proximo. On to-morrow I shall be engaged. Any other day of my 
stay here, and any place selected by the citizens of St. Louis, it will bo 
agreeable for me to meet them. 

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

U. S. Grant, Major- General U. S. A. 

During that day (Januaiy 27th) General Grant paid a 
visit to the city University, where he passed some two 
hours in reviewing the arrangements and listening to the 
recitations of the students of this institution. 

The same evening he attended the St. Louis theatre with 
his family, and was the cynosure of the eyes of all around 
him during the whole of the performance. After the fall 
of the curtain upon the play of Richelieu, cheers were 
proposed and heartily given for the " famous military chief- 
tain." The general rose from his box bowing his acknowl- 
edgments, and in response to calls was understood to say 
20 • 



458 



GENERAL GRANT 



that he had never made a speech in his life and never ex- 
pected to. Asking to be excused, he resumed Iris seat 
amidst a shower of cheers. The orchestra struck up "Hail 
Columbia," followed by "Yankee Doodle," and altogether 
the incident was a very pleasant one. 

On Friday evening (January 29th, 18G4) the old friends 
of the modest Lieutenant Grant of former times, the neigh- 
bors of farmer Grant, the cordwood dealer of Corondelet, 
and the admirers of General Grant, the redeemer of the 
Mississippi Valley, sat down in the dining-hall of the Lin- 
dell Hotel, St. Louis, to a grand dinner given in hisdionor. 
A stranger, unacquainted with the object of the gathering, 
entering the dining-hall during the dinner, would never 
have selected, from the guests there assembled, the quiet, 
modest, unassuming man at the upper end of the room, as 
the victorious hero of the Southwest. 

The St. Louis journals thus describe the reception and 
appearance of General Grant on this occasion : 

The guests assembled in the corridors and parlors of the hotel at half- 
past six o'clock. Much curiosity was exhibited to see General Grant; 
and when he made his appearance, arm-in-arm with Judge Treat, all 
were eager to go forward and be presented to him. He went through the 
protracted ceremony of shaking hands with the crowd, and passing a 
word or two with each, v)ith far less of pretensions and pompous deport- 
ment than many of those who sought his acquaintance. He is a small man 
about five feet eight inches high, with a well-knit frame, brown hair 
and whiskers, both cropped close, and a manner as utterly destitute of 
style as could be conceived. His sharp nose, heavy lower jaw, and firm 
set lips, are the only features wherein one would suspect lurked the qual- 
ities that drove the Western armies like a resistless avalanche down the 
Mississippi and over the Southwest, in that career of consecutive victo- 
ries that broke the power of rebellion, even while it was boasting of 
triumphs at the East. 

The curiosity of the company centered mainly upon General Grant, 
to honor whom the demonstration was specially intended. As he lodged 
in the hotel, any thing like an ostentatious arrival or reception was, of 



AISTD HIS CAMPAIGNS. 459 

course, out of the question. General Grant had a visibly mild modest 
manner, and received the cordial greetings tendered him with evident em- 
barrassment. The lady inmates of the house took possession of an ad- 
joining; parlor, through the open door of which they could see the 
General, and several of his most ardent admirers among the fair spec- 
tators took the opportunity of his near proximity to the door in ques- 
tion, to obtain an introduction. 

The dinner was as choice as it could possibly be. There 
were three elegant tables spread lengthwise in the hall, pro- 
vided abundantly from the larder of the hotel. In the 
centre^of the one on the north side were seated the Presi- 
dent of the Committee of Citizens, Judge Samuel Treat, 
with General Grant next on his right, followed by General 
Schofield, Colonel Leighton, Colonel Marcy, and Lieuten- 
ant-Governor Hall. Next on his left sat General Rose- 
crans, General Osterhaus, and Mr. F. Dent, father-in-law 
of the guest of the evening. Mr. Dent is a white-haired, 
florid, fine-looking gentleman, about sixty-five years old. 
He resided in St. Louis County, on the Gravois road. Im- 
mediately opposite Judge Treat, at the same table, sat 
Judge Lord, of the Land Court, flanked on the left by 
Major Dunn, C. B. Hubbell, Colonel Merrill, and G. Iloe- 
ber ; and on the right by Colonel Callender, Colonel 
Myers, Colonel Haines, and Major C. P. E. Johnson. 

At the centre of the south table were seated Honorable 
Way man Crow, with General McNeil, General Fisk, Gen- 
eral Brown, General Totten, and General Gray. The re- 
maining guests, to the number of two hundred, occupied 
the other seats at the tables. The hall, superb in the ceiling 
and wall colorings which embellished it, was further deco- 
rated by the spirited drapings of the national flag from 
each of the arched windows, and presented a magnificent 
appearance. 

After the dinner the various toasts, incident to such 



460 



GENERAL GRANT 



occasions, were given. At the toast of " our distinguished 
guest, Major-General Grant," the band played with great 
spirit the air " Hail to the Chief." 

General Grant arose amid a perfect storm of applause ; 
but, true to his resolution never to make a speech, he 
simply said : 

Gentlemen": In response, it will be impossible for me to do more 
than to thank you. 

At the toast of " the City of St. Louis," the following 

preamble and resolutions, passed by the City Council an 

hour or two before the time fixed for the dinner, were 

read : 

Council Chamber, ) 

City op St. Louis, January 29, 1864. j 

Whereas, Major-General TJ. S. Grant has, since our last meeting, sud- 
denly and unexpectedly arrived among us, and the opportunity not hav- 
ing presented itself whereby the city authorities and this body could 
testify their great esteem, regard, and indebtedness due his modest, un- 
swerving energies, swayed neither by the mighty successes which have 
crowned his genius and efforts in behalf of the government, nor the machi- 
nations of jJoliticians — evidences of the true patriot and soldier; therefore, 
be it 

Resolved, That the thanks of the Common Council of the City of St. 
Louis are eminently due, and are hereby respectfully tendered to Major- 
General U. S. Grant, in behalf of the City of St. Louis. 

Resolved, That his Honor, the Mayor, be respectfully requested to 
give his official approval to this preamble and resolutions, and cause 
the seal of the city to be affixed, and the same presented to Major-Gen- 
eral TJ. S. Grant. 

Shortly before the dinner party broke up, the following 
was read : 

Major-General Grant — Tie is emphatically TJ. S. Grant, for he has 
given US and the TJ. S. an earnest of those victories which will finally 
rescue this nation from the rebellion and its cause — American slavery. 

Loud applause greeted the reading of this sentiment. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 401 

During the same evening, the General was honored by 
the enthusiastic populace with a serenade. His appearance 
on the balcony was greeted with the most flattering cheers. 
In response to calls for a speech, he took off his hat, and, 
amid profound silence, said : 

Gentlemen: I thank you for this honor. I cannot make a speech. 
It is something 1 have never done, and never intend to do, and I beg 
you will excuse me. 

Loud cheers followed this brief address, at the conclu- 
sion of which the General replaced his hat, took a cigar 
from his pocket, lit it, and stood on the balcony in the 
presence of the crowd, puffing his Havana and watching 
the rockets as they ascended and burst in the air. 

" Speech ! speech !" vociferated the multitude, and sev 
eral gentlemen near him urged the General to say some- 
thing to satisfy the people, but he declined. Judge Lord, 
of the Land Court, appeared very enthusiastic, and, placing 
his hand on General Giant's shoulder, said: "Tell them 
you can fight for them, but can't talk to them— do tell 
them that!" 

" I must get some one else to say that for me," replied 
the General; but the multitude continuing to cry out, 
"Speech! speech!" he leaned over the railing, blew a 
wreath of smoke from his lips, and said : 

" Gentlemen : Making speeches is not my business. I 
never did it in my life, and never will. I thank you, how- 
ever, for your attendance here," and with that the General 
retired. 

At the request of a number of ladies the noted visitor 
agreed to stay in the city until the end of the month, as 
the citizens of St. Louis were organizing a Great Western 
Sanitary Commission Fair. The following letter from 
him was, however, read at a meeting held on Monday even- 
ing, February 1, 1864: 



462 



GENERAL GRANT 



St. Loins, Mo., Jan. 31, 1864. 
Dr. W. G. Eliot, George Partridge, and others, Western Sanitary 

Commission : 

Gentlemen: Your letter of yesterday, requesting rcy presence at a 
general meeting of the loyal citizens of St. Louis on Monday evening, to 
make preparations for a " Grand Mississippi Valley Fair," for the benefit 
of the sick and wounded soldiers of the Western array, is before me. / 
regret that my already protracted stay in the city will prevent any longer 
delay from my public duties. I regret this, as it would afford me the 
greatest pleasure to advance, in any manner, the interests of a commis- 
sion that has already done so much for the suffering soldiers of our 
Western armies. The gratuitous offerings of our loyal citizens at home, 
through the agency of Sanitary Commissions, to our brave soldiers in the 
field, have been to them the most encouraging and gratifying evidence 
that whilst they are risking life and health for the suppression of this 
most wicked rebellion, their friends, who cannot assist them with mus- 
ket and sword, are with them in sympathy and heart. The Western 
Sanitary Commission have distributed many tons of stores to the armies 
under my command. Their voluntary offerings have made glad the 
hearts of many thousands o/ wounded and sick soldiers who otherwise 
would have been subjected to severe privations. Knowing the benefits 
already conferred on the army by the Western Sanitary Commission, I 
hope for them a full and enthusiastic meeting to-night, and a fair to fol- 
low which will bring together many old friends who have been kept 
apart for the last three years, and unite them again in one common 
cause — that of their country and peace. 
I am. gentlemen, with great respect, 

Your obedient servant, 

U. S. GRANT, Major-Gencral U. S. A. 

Before the close of the meeting the General was elected 
an honorary member of the Commission. 

General Grant when he took his departure from St. 
Louis stated that he felt much pleased to find he was so 
well aided by the residents of the Mississippi River cities. 
He then set about carrying out his plans for the Spring 
Campaign, the effects of which will doubtless help to shake 
the remainder of the rebel confederacy to pieces. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 4G3 



CHAPTER LX. 

GENERAL GRANT'S PERSONAL APPEARANCE AND CHARACTER. 

The appearance of General Grant is far from what an 
idealist would picture of a great hero. He is a man of 
medium height, and but little above the minimum standard 
of officers of the army. The appearance of bis countenance 
during repose is far from commanding ; but on the field 
there seems to be something in the determined glance of 
his eye, the contracted brow, and the firm-set teeth, that 
would imply that his wishes " must and shall be carried 
out." Otherwise there is but little in his countenance that 
could be called striking. His brow is straight and square, 
but cannot be characterized as lofty, although it is far from 
ignoble. His head is covered by a fair quantity of light 
brownish hair * His eyes are blue, sharp, and expressive, 

* We find a letter from General Grant to the wife of General I. F 

Quinby, which we quote : 

Chattanooga, Tenn., Dec. 13, 18G3. 

My Dear Madam:— The letter of my old friend and classmate, you: 
husband, requesting a lock of my hair, if the article is not growing 
scarce from age— I presume he means to be put in an ornament (by the 
most delicate of hands no doubt), and sold at the bazaar for the benefit 
of disabled soldiers and their families— is just received. 

I am glad to say that the stock is yet abundant as ever, though time 
or other cause is beginning to intersperse here and there a reminder that 
winters have passed. 

The object for which this little requisite is made is so praiseworthy 
that I cannot refuse it, even though I do, by granting it, expose the fact 
to the ladies of Rochester, that I am no longer a boy. Hoping that the 



464 



GENERAL GRANT 



yet, at times, calm and mild. His nose is aquiline, its bold 
lines delicately chiseled. His mouth and chin are well 
formed, but are concealed under a heavy brown beard and 
mustache, which is kept cut somewhat shorter than it de- 
serves. 

His manner is mild even in times of the greatest excite- 
ment, and the humblest drummer-boy can as easily reach 
the General with his complaints, as could his corps or de- 
partmental commanders. 

His style of dress has often been alluded to in the course 
of this narrative. He assumes no gaudy plumes nor trap- 
pings, and takes but little consideration as to his personal 
appearance. This apparent carelessness is a conclusive 
evidence that his mind is employed with more important 
matters. 

A correspondent from Chattanooga thus describes his 
appearance during the battle: 

Those who had never seen General Grant would scarcely be likely to 
have singled him out from the hundred others on the ground around 
Chattanooga as the man whom the country recognizes as having done*- 
the most, and of whom so much is expected, to crush the rebellion by 
hard blows, and of the exercise of those qualities which enter into a 
character of true greatness. He was there to be seen enveloped in a 
rather hugh military coat, wearing a slouching hat, which seemed to 
have a predisposition to turn up before and down behind, with a gait 
elightly limping from his accident at New Orleans, giving his orders 
with as few words as possible, in a low tone, and with an accent which 
partook of the slight nervousness, intensity of feeling, yet perfect self- 
command, seen in all his movements. General Grant might be de- 
scribed best as a little old man — yet not really old — who, with a keen 
eye, did not intend that any thing should escape his observation. At 

citizens of your city may spend a happy week commencing to-morrow, 
and that this fair may remunerate most abundantly, 

I remain, very truly, your friend, 

U. S. Grant, 
Major- General U. S. A. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 4G5 

that battle he was not in his usual physical condition, his recent illness, 
added to his arduous labors, having made him lean in flesh, and given 
a sharpness to his features which he did not formerly have. Those 
features, however, go far to define the man of will and self-control that he 
is. At the critical moment of the day's operations, the muscles appeared 
to gather tighter and harder over his slightly projecting chin, which 
seems to have an involuntary way of working, and the lips to contract. 
There is in what he does or says nothing that has the slightest approach 
to ostentation or show, but the palpable evidence of a plain man of sense, 
will, and purpose, who has little idea that more eyes are turned on him 
than on any other man on the continent. From his first struggle at 
Belmont to his last at Chattanooga, the men led by him have fought 
more steadily, fiercely, and successfully than those of any other portion 
of our army. In looking back over the history of the war, the eye rests 
upon no more glorious pages than those whereon are written Fort Don- 
elson, Vicksburg, and Chattanooga.* 

There are many instances mentioned of the kindness 
of General Grant's heart, but one will suffice as an evi- 
dence of the whole. When General Grant heard of the 
death of Colonel O'Meara, one of the officers under his 
command at Chattanooga, he hastened to see the daring 
arid brave man's remains which were at the landing in 
a coffin, waiting for transportation. The General ordered 
the coffin to be opened that he might take "a last look at 
the gallant Colonel of the Irish Legion." When the coffin 
was opened the General was touched at the sight of one 
whom he had honored and publicly thanked before he 
had been two months in the Army of the Tennessee. 
O'Meara's defence of the trestlework, a few miles north 
of Holly Springs, Miss., when Van Dorn made a raid 
there in December, 1862, and which saved Grant's army 
from starvation, was never forgotten by the General. The 
spectators were moved at the sad and touching farewell of 
the Commander of the Department of the Mississippi from 

* Army Correspondence. 



466 GENERAL GRANT 

the corpse of .1 young Irish soldier, who had forfeited his 
life to the belief that " the highest and best duty of all, 
native or foreign bom, was to stand by the flag which is 
the hope of the exile, the emblem of philanthropy, and 
the ensign of the American people." 

General Grant in private is thus described by an officer 
of his staff: 

If you could see the General as he sits just over beyond me, with 
his wife and two children, looking more like a chaplain than a gen- 
eral, with that quiet air so impossible to describe, you would not ask 
mo if he drinks. He rarely ever uses intoxicating liquors ; more moder- 
ate in his habits and desires than any other man I ever knew ; more pure 
and spotless is his private character than almost any man I ever knew ; more 
brave than any man I ever saw; with more power to command and 
ability to plan than any man I ever served under ; cool to excess, when 
others lose nerve, always hopeful, always undisturbed, never failing to 
accomplish what he undertakes just as he expects to. He is the only 
General worthy to command Americans fighting for their national sal- 
vation. 

Of his bravery there can be no doubt, as it has been 
shown on all occasions from West Point to Chattanooga ; 
but if the fact requires an endorsement, it has it in the fol- 
lowing remarks from General Sherman, at the public din- 
ner given at Memphis on the 25th of January, 1S64 : "I 
was at West Point," said General Sherman, " with Gen- 
eral Grant. The General is not a man of remarkable 
learning, but he is one of the bravest I ever saw. He 
smokes his cigar with coolness in the midst of flying 
shot. He has no fear, because he is an honest man. I 
like Grant. I do not say he is a hero ; I do not believe in 
heroes ; but I know he is a gentleman, and a good man." 

General Grant has always manifested towards the offi- 
cers that have served under him a full appreciation of their 
abilities. His dispatches to the General-in-Chief, concerning 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 



467 



battles and other movements, have always given evidence 
of this fact; and the following special recommendations of 
distinguished officers (since promoted) by General Grant, 
are on file at the head-quarters of the General-in-Chief. 
Under date of July 23, 1863, General Grant says: 

I would respectfully, but urgently, recommend the promotion of Ma- 
jor-General W. T. Sherman, now commanding the Fifteenth Army Corps, 
ta the position of Brigadier-General in the regular army. 

To General Sherman I was greatly indebted for Lis promptness in 
forwarding to me, during the siege of Fort Donelson, re-euforcemfr.ts 
and supplies from Fadueah. At the battle of Shiloh, on the first day 
he held with raw troops the keypoint to the landing. To his individual 
efforts I am indtbtzd for the success of that battle. Twice hit, and several 
(I think three) horses shot under him on that day, he maintained I is 
position with raw troops. It is no disparagement to any other officer to 
say that I do not believe there was another division commander on Lhe 
field who had the skill and experience to have done it. His services as 
division commander in the advance on Corinth, I will venture to say, 
were appreciated by the now General-in-Chief beyond those of any other 
division cemmander. 

General Sherman's arrangement as commander of troops in the attack 
on Chickasaw Bluffs last Decembei, was admirable; seeing the ground 
from the opposite side from the attack, I saw the impossibility of mak'ng 
it successful. The concejMon of the attack on Arkansas Post was General 
Sherman's, li's part of the execution, no one denies, was as goor 1 as 
it possibly could kavo been. His demonstration at Haines"s Biuff, in 
April, to hold the enemy about Vicksburg, while the army was securing 
a foothold east of the Mississippi ; his rapid marches to join the army 
afterward; his management at Jackson. Mississippi, in the first atiu. k • 
his almost unequalled march from Jackson to Bridgeport, and passage of 
Black River; his securing "Walnut hills on the hsth of May, and li.us 
opening communications with oui supplies, all attest his great merit as o 
soldier. The siege of Vicksburg and last capture of Jackson and dis- 
persion of Johnston's army, entitle General Sherman to more credit than 
usually falls to the lot of one man to earn. The promotion of such n.en 
as Sherman always adds strength to our arms. 

On the same day that he recommended the promotion 
of General Sherman he also requested the same honor lor 



468 GENERAL GRANT 

General McPherson, and wrote to the General-in-Chief 
concerning him as follows : 

General McPherson has been with me in every battle since tho 
commencement of the rebellion, except Belmont. At Forts Henry, 
Donelson, Shiloh, and the siege of Corinth, as a staff officer and en- 
gineer, his services were conspicuous and highly meritorious. At the 
second battle of Corinth his skill as a soldier was displayed in success- 
fully carrying re-enforcements to the besieged garrison, when the ene- 
my was between him and the point to be reached. 

In the advance through Central Mississippi last November and De- 
cember, General McPherson commanded one wing of the army with all 
the ability possible to show, he having the lead in the advance and the 
rear returning. 

In the campaign and siege terminating with the fall of Vicksburg 
General McPherson has filled a conspicuous part at the battle of Po: 
Gibson. It was under his direction that the enemy was driven, late h 
the afternoon, from a position they had succeeded in holding all day 
against an obstinate attack. His corps, the advance always under his 
immediate eije, were the pioneers in the movement from Port Gibson to 
Hawkinson's Ferry. From the north fork of the Bayou Pierre to Black 
River it was a constant skirmish, the whole skilfully managed. The 
enemy was so closely pressed as to be unable to destroy their bridge 
of boats after them. From Hawkinson's Ferry to Jackson, the Seven- 
teenth Army Corps marched roads not travelled by other troops, fight- 
ing the entire battle of Raymond alone, and the bulk of Johnston's army 
was fought by this corps, entirely under the management of General 
McPherson. 

At Thompson's Hill, the Seventeenth Corps and General McPherson 
were conspicuous, All that could be termed a battle there, was fought 
by the divisions of General McPherson's Corps, and Hovey's Division 
of tho Thirteenth Corps. In the assault of the 22d of May, on the for- 
tifications of Vicksburg, and during the entire siege, General McPher- 
son and his command took unfading laurels. lie is one of our ablest en- 
gineers and mod skilful Generals. 

These recommendations secured the nomination by the 
Presideut of these officers to the positions named in tha 
documents. 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 



469 



General Grant's modesty is even more remarkable than 
the other tine traits in his character. Every dispatch that 
he sent to head-quarters was full of it; his quiet acknowl- 
edgment of honors gave evidence of it; and his replies 
concerning the mention of his name for the Presidency — 
the highest honor in the gift of the people, and the proud 
ambition of every true American — breathed it in every 
syllable. One day being spoken to about that position, he 
said, "Let us first settle the war and it will be time 
enough then to talk upon that subject." On another 
occasion, when rallied about the persistent use of his name 
by the public press for the Presidency, he said : " I 
aspire only to one political office. When this war is over 
I mean to run for Mayor of Galena (his place of residence). 
And if elected, I intend to have the sidewalk fixed up be- 
tween my house and the depot." 

General Howard is reported to have stated in public that 
General Grant is a strictly temperate man, and religious. His 
marked characteristic is a wonderful faith in his success, 
amounting almost to the fatality in which Napoleon so strongly 
believed. General Howard's statements can be relied on.* 

Prominent military men of every age have had some particu- 
lar method of fighting, which might be considered peculiar to 
themselves ; but at the same time the world's great generals 
have all adopted some acknowledged principles of strategy. 
On this subject General Grant made the following remarks to 
the members of his staff at Nashville during March, 1 864 : " I 
don't believe in strategy as you generally mean it. I use it in 
getting just as close to the enemy as possible, and then 'up 
guards and at 'ein.' " 

*New York Times, February 18, 1864 



470 GENERAL GRANT 

CHAPTER LXI. 

grant's last camfaign, and close of the war. 

As soon as the President's appointment of General Grant 
to the revived rank of Lieutenant-General had received the 
confirmation of the Senate of the United States, the appointee 
was ordered to report at the national capital. With true 
soldierly promptness he obeyed the order, and leaving the 
head-quarters of his military division "in the field," hastened 
on to Washington. On the 6th of March, 1S04, he visited 
the Departmental offices at Louisville, Kentucky, to ascertain 
that every thing was in proper working order before he left the 
Division ; and having satisfied himself on this subject, he 
started East, taking with him his son, a lad thirteen years 
of ace. He arrived at Cincinnati the next morning, where 
he paid a flying visit to his father (J. R. Grant, Esq.), then 
residing at Covington, opposite that city, after which he 
proceeded to Ilarrisburg, Pennsylvania. He left that place 
on the morning of March 8th, and arrived at Baltimore about 
noon, where he was met at the depot of the Northern Central 
Railroad by a considerable number of soldiers and citizens. 
The General was plainly clad, and seemed anxious to avoid 
show or parade. Many, however, on seeing him, went up to 
shake hands, and gave vent to their feelings by enthusiastic 
shouts of welcome. To this greeting he remarked that, "be- 
yond all things he was determined to avoid political demon- 
strations; his business was with war, while it existed, and his 
duty was to crush the spirit of treason and save the nation 
from destruction. When these things were accomplished, as 
he hoped and believed they surely would be, then it would be 
time enough for those whose tastes were toward partisanship to 
indulge themselves." 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 4 "71 

General Grant left Baltimore by the next train, and arrived 
in "Washington at about five o'clock on the evening of March 
8th, 1864. He at once proceeded to Willard's Hotel, where he 
immediately went to his room. Having divested himself of 
his travelling attire, he, unattended by either staff or escort, 
quietly walked into the long dining-room of the hotel, and 
took his scat for dinner. There were several hundred persons 
present, and the ranking officer of the whole United States 
army sat down in their midst in his rusty major-general's 
uniform, attracting but little notice. His quietude was but 
short-lived ; and he had but half finished his dinner when one 
of the visitors at the table inquired of a neighbor who the 
strange major-general was. Looking up, the party ques- 
tioned recognized the newly arrived officer at a glance, as he 
had before known him in Galena, and he promptly answered : 

" Why, that is Lieutenant-General Grant." 

The magic name was quickly whispered about, and a 
battery of ladies' eyes was speedily opened upon him. The 
General soon betrayed evidences of embarrassment, when sud- 
denly a member of Congress arose and announced that " the 
hero ofVicksburg was among them," and proposed his health. 
Instantly all the guests were on their feet, and the proposal 
was met with deafening cheers. More embarrassed than 
before, the General merely bowed and resumed his seat; but 
it was some time before he could finish his dinner in conse- 
quence of the rush of the guests to gain an introduction to him. 

Late in the evening General Grant visited the White House, 
where the President was holding a public reception. He 
entered the reception room unannounced ; but was soon re- 
cognized and greeted by Mr. Lincoln with great cordiality. 
The noted visitor then became the principal feature of the 
reception, and, attended by the Secretaries of War and 
State, he modestly received the congratulations of the crowded 
mansion, after which he escorted Mrs. Lincoln round the East 



472 GENERAL GRANT 

Room, and retired. He afterwards remarked it was "his 
wannest campaign during the whole war." 

Tho City Councils of Washington also tendered him the hos- 
pitalities and freedom of the city, together with a cordial wel- 
come. This welcome was embodied in a series of resolutions, 
handsomely written, and presented to him by the Mayor. 

At one o'clock in the afternoon of March 9th, 1864, General 
Grant was formally presented by President Lincoln with his 
commission as Lieutenant-General. The ceremony took place 
in the presence of the Cabinet, the General-in-Chief, the mem- 
bers of General Grant's staff, that officer's son, the President's 
private secretary, and Representative Lovejoy. When the 
General entered the room the President rose and said : 

General Grant : The nation's appreciation of what you have done, 
and its reliance upon you for what still remains to bo accomplished in 
the existing great struggle, are now presented with this commissiou, 
constituting you Lieutenant-General in the army of the United States. 
With this high honor devolves upon you, also, a corresponding respon- 
sibility. As the country herein trusts you, so, under God, it will sus- 
tain you. I scarcely need to add, that with what I here speak for the 
nation, goes my own hearty personal concurrence. 

To which General Grant replied as follows : 

Mr. President: I accept the commission, with gratitude for the high 
honor conferred. "With the aid of the noble armies that have fought 
on so many fields for our common country, it will be my earnest en- 
deavor not to disappoint your expectations. I feel the full weight of 
the responsibilities now devolving on me, and I know that if they are 
met, it will be due to those armies, and, above all, to the favor of that 
Providence which leads both nations and men. 

At the conclusion of these brief speeches, the President in- 
troduced the General to all the members of the Cabinet; after 
which the company were seated, and about half an hour was 
spent in pleasant social conversation. 

General Grant, the next day, visited the Army of the 
Potomac, in company with General Meade, and on his return 
to the national capital, immediately made preparations for 



AND HIS CAMPAIGNS. 



473 



his departure. lie left Washington with his staff on the eve- 
ning of March 11th, for the West. 

The day after, the following order was promulgated: 

"War Department, Adjutant-General's Office, ) 
"Washington-, March 12, 18G4. ) 

[Genera Orders, No. 98.] 
The President of the United States orders as follows: 

First. Major-General Ilalleck is, at bis own request, relieved from 
duty as General-in-Chief of the army, and Lieutenant-General U. S. 
Grant is assigned to the command of the armies of the United States. 
The head-quarters of the army will be in Washington, and also with 
Lieutenant-General Grant in the field. 

Second. Major-General Halleck is assigned to duty in Washington, as 
Chief of Staff of the army under the direction of the Secretary of War 
and the Lieutenant-General Commanding. Ilis orders will he obeyed 
and respected accordingly. 

Third Major-Geueval W. T. Sherman is assigned to the command of 
the military division of the Mississippi, composed of the Departments 
of the Ohio, the Cumberland, the Tennessee, and the Arkansas. 

Fourth. Major-General J. B.McPherson is assigned to the command 
of the Department and Army of the Tennessee. 

Fifth In relieving Major-General Ilalleck from duty as General-in- 
Chief, the Trcsident desires to express his approbation and thanks for 
the zealous manner in which the arduous and responsible dufies of that 
position have been performed. 

By order of the Secretary of War. 

E. D. Townsend, Ass' t Adjutant- General. 

It is believed that no military order was issued during 
the war so universally satisfactory as this which ap- 
pointed Lieutenant-General Grant to the command of 
the Armies of the United States. 

During the preceding January, Grant had made an 
extensive tour of inspection through the military division 
of the Mississippi, and the scope of his new duties as 
Lieutenant-General required that he should thoroughly 
inform himself concerning the condition of the other 
Western departments. It was necessary, also, that he 
should arrange with General Sherman the plans for the 



474 GENERAL GRANT. 

coming spring and summer campaigns. This done — 
and., as the result showed, well done — he returned to 
Washington to mature his plans for the Virginia cam- 
paign, which he was to conduct in person. The month 
of April was a busy season to the brave soldiers of the 
Potomac Army, of which General Grant remarked, '•' This 
is a very fine army; and these men, I am told, have 
fought with great courage and bravery. I think, how- 
ever, that the Army of the Potomac has never fought its 
battles through." The world was soon to learn, what this 
calm, self-poised commander intimated by his remark, 
that this same army — always nobly striving, yet never 
attaining — was capable, under proper handling, of fight- 
ing its battles " through." He came to them with a well- 
earned reputation for success in whatever he undertook ; 
he commended himself to them by the earnestness which 
quickly dispersed speculators, hangers-on and "shirks" 
of all sorts; which made fancy -soldiering "below par" 
in the camp; and which promised to these brave but 
sorely baffled heroes vvork, hard work, plenty of it. The 
loyal heart of the nation, wearied and desponding by 
reason of its many sad and costly trials, turned to him 
and rested itself upon him with an appealing trustfulness 
which the grave, reticent soldier deeply felt, and evidently 
appreciated. The patient, truthful, and loving heart of 
President Lincoln trusted him entirely — as he wrote him, 
on the eve of the campaign, "I wish to express, in this 
way, my entire satisfaction with what you have done up 
to this time, as I understand it. The particulars of your 
plans I neither know nor seek to know. You are 
vigilant and self-reliant ; and, pleased with this, I wish 
not to obtrude any restraints or constraints upon you. 
* * If there be any thing wanting which it is within 
my power to give, do not fail to let me know it." 



HIS CAMPAIGNS AND BATTLES. 



475 



The force with which he took the field was of magnifi- 
cent proportions ; consisting, in fact, of three armies ; 
viz., the Army of the Potomac, the Army of the James, 
and the Army of the Shenandoah. From different points, 
and over different fields, these great columns were con- 
verging 'toward one focus— Richmond, the Confederate 
capital! This was defended by the rebel forces under 
General Lee, lying south of the Rapidan River, stretch- 
ing eastward from Orange Court-House, with his cavalry 
guarding the left flank toward Gordonsville, while his 
right was near Chancellorsville. North of the Rapidan, 
and confronting the rebel position, as it had for months 
previous, lay the Army of the Potomac, under Major- 
General Meade, consisting of three corps of infantry 
(nearly 150,000 men) under such leaders as Hancock, 
Sedgwick, Warren, etc. ; together with Sheridan's splendid 
cavalry corps, and a reserve, about 40,000 strong, under 
Burnside— its headquarters being at Culpepper Court- 
House, and its line extended from Brandy Station to 
Robertson's River. To this army was assigned the post 
of honor— the opening of the mighty conflict. The Army 
of the James, under Major-General Butler, made up of 
the former Army of Eastern Virginia and North Caro- 
lina, and a portion of the Army of the Department of the 
South, was directed to seize, by an adroit maneuvre, the 
position known as Bermuda Hundred, on the south bank 
of the James River, midway between Richmond and 
Petersburg, and, if practicable, it was expected to inter- 
pose such a permanent force between the two cities, as 
should result in the capture of the latter. The Army of 
the Shenandoah, under Major-General Sigel, and com- 
posed of the Army of Western Virginia, together with the 
Nineteenth Corps, formerly of the Department of the 
Gulf, and a considerable cavalry force, was to operate on 



476 



GENERAL GRANT. 



Staunton, Wayncsborough, and Lynchburg, in order to 
cripple Lee's resources, and cut off his supplies from the 
West, while, at the same time, it guarded against any 
sudden rebel incursion into Maryland and Pennsylvania, 
by way of the Shenandoah Valley. 

While these movements were in process of execution, 
Grant's lieutenant, the invincible Sherman, at the head 
of the three splendid and oft-tried Armies of the Cum- 
berland, the Tennessee, and the Ohio, with such leaders 
as the gallant McPherson, Hooker, Logan, Schofield, 
Howard, and others equally famous, was to move upon 
Atlanta, Ga., and so completely to occupy the rebel 
forces in the South-west as to prevent their sending re- 
inforcements to, or receiving them from, Lee's army. 

Such, in brief, was the gigantic plan for the simul- 
taneous movement which was made by all the Union 
forces in the field, in the early part of May, 1864. The 
first move of the Army of the Potomac, on the 4th, 
across the Rapidan, aim:d at the flanking of Lee's right, 
then strongly intrenched at Mine's Run. Plunging, as 
soon as they had crossed the river, into the " Wilderness," 
a tract of dense forest, some fifteen or twenty miles in 
length, and five miles wide, eastward of Chancellorsville, 
the "boys in blue" were met — before they had time to 
get into position amid the tangled undergrowth of the 
woods — with a staggering attack from Longstreet's rebel 
corps. Sedgwick's corps, which received this blow, re- 
pulsed it and a succeeding one also, and then the rebel 
attack was hurled upon Warren's corps (the Union cen- 
ter), but was again foiled. The battle, lasting far into 
the night, was renewed at 4 o'clock on the morning of 
the 6th, by Lee, who endeavored to break the Union 
right and center. He was driven back, however, and by 
6 a.m. Hancock commenced to drive the rebels back, and 



HIS CAMPAIGNS AND BATTLES. 477 

heavy fighting ensued, lasting through the day, though 
with indecisive results until dark, when the extreme right 
of the Union line was turned, and completely flanked. 
It was truly a critical moment; but Grant, with his 
usual fertility of resource, "plucked safety out of the 
flower danger," and by extending his left and center, 
which were still unshaken, brought his right into a new 
position, changing his base, meanwhile, to Fredericks- 
burg and the Rappahannock. He thus not only flanked 
Lee in turn, but, by getting his army out of the Wilder- 
ness, gained the advantage of a more open country for 
the use of his artillery. Lee fell back, and took up 
a new and strong position at Spottsylvania Court- 
House where Grant found and fought him on the 8th, 
9th, and 10th, but without much decisive result. On the 
night of the 11th, Grant transferred Hancock's corps to 
the left of the line ; and at half-past 4 o'clock, on the 
morning of the 12th, this corps completely surprised the 
rebel right by a terrible bayonet charge, capturing two 
generals, four thousand prisoners, and thirty heavy guns, 
and holding the positions thus gained, in spite of the 
repeated and almost frantic attempts of the enemy to 
retake them. On the 13th, Lee's lines were -re-formed, 
moving farther to the right, but not escaping the vigi- 
lance of Grant ; and when, on the same night, Warren's 
(Union) corps was attacked, it repulsed the rebels with 
heavy loss. Until the 18th there was a lull, during which 
both armies were largely reinforced. On that day, Hancock 
attacked and gained two lines of the rebel intrenchments, 
and the next three days were occupied by Grant in an- 
other flanking movement, by way of Gurney's Station, to 
Milford Bridge. Lee meanwhile moved to a strong posi- 
tion between the North and South Anna Rivers, and 
Grant, finding, by some hard fighting, that a direct attack 



478 GENERAL GRANT. 

would be impracticable, made another flank movement. 
Making an attack with his right wing, as a cover to his 
real movement, he recrossed the North Anna with his 
main army, burned the Virginia Central Railroad Bridge, 
crossed the Pamunkey, and, on the 31st of May, was 
within fifteen miles of Richmond. But he had an alert 
and most skillful antagonist to cope with. Lee was ready 
in force to meet him, and several days were spent in 
cavalry lighting and skirmishing. On the 1st of June, 
the Sixth Corps occupied a strong position near Cold 
Harbor, being joined there by a detachment from the 
Army of the James, and two days after (June 3d) was 
fought the battle of Cold Harbor, a most determined, 
stubborn contest on both sides, resulting in the occupa- 
tion of the place by the Union troops. An attack the 
same day on the rebel intrench ments, however, failed of 
success ; and General Grant, finding that an attempt to 
dislodge the enemy by direct attack, would involve too 
serious a loss of life, determined, and within three days 
(12th to 15th) executed, the bold movement of crossing the 
James River, in the face of the enemy, though without 
his knowledge, with the view of attacking Richmond from 
that side. 

General Butler, with his Army of the James, had mean- 
while been carrying out his share of the programme with 
energy and skill. Seizing Bermuda Hundred, and fortify- 
ing the position, he cut the railroad below Petersburg, 
made a dash upon the city, though without taking it ; 
besieged Port Darling, without success; and stoutly 
maintaining his own against repeated rebel attacks, was 
ready to welcome and assist the Army of the Potomac. 

Sigel's Army, however, had been less successful, and 
after a severe rebuff whieh it met with, on the 15th of 
May, at Reed's Hill, in the Shenandoah Valley, its com- 



HIS CAMPAIGNS AND BATTLES. 479 

mand was taken by General Hunter, who defeated Gen- 
eral Sam Jones, at Staunton, taking several guns and 
many prisoners, and driving the rebels to Waynesboro. 
Pressing still forward toward Lynchburg, with Generals 
Crook and Averill's commands, he was finally met by the 
rebel General Early, and was obliged to retreat, by a 
forced march, into the mountains of Western Virginia, 
with heavy loss and suffering. 

While these movements were in progress, the dashing 
cavalry force of Sheridan had " raided" completely around 
General Lee's lines, penetrating the first lines of works 
around the Confederate capital, destroying railroads, 
trains, depots of supplies, releasing Union prisoners, 
and capturing many of the rebels. Having cut all 
Lee's communications he safely returned to the Army of 
the James, five days after starting. 

The rebel General Early, having routed Hunter, found 
a free road down the Shenandoah Valley, crossed over into 
Maryland, where he occupied Hagerstown and Frederick, 
and threatened Baltimore and Washington, approach- 
ing even to within two miles of the latter city. Finding 
himself, however, somewhat unexpectedly confronted with 
the Nineteenth Corps, just from New Orleans, and the 
Sixth, from the Army of the Potomac, and learning that 
General Couch, from Pennsylvania, was Closing up on his 
rear, he hastily retreated to Virginia, carrying with him 
a large amount of plunder. 

But we must return to General Grant, whose first 
move, after he had reached the south side of the James, 
was an immediate attack on Petersburg, which, however, 
failed through some misunderstanding on the part of the 
cavalry force which was to have co-operated. A series of 
attacks upon the rebel works was kept up, and by the 
22d of June, the city was invested, except on the north 



480 GENERAL GRANT. 

and west side, and the Petersburg and Danville (or South- 
side) Railroad was finally secured by the Union troops, 
after some very severe fighting. At the same time (June 
22d to July 1st) a body of eight thousand cavalry, under 
Generals Wilson and Kautz, made a dash upon the 
Weldon Railroad, which they destroyed and cut up for 
several miles, as well as a large amount of stores, sup- 
plies, etc. Unfortunately, however, they were surrounded 
by the rebels, and before they could extricate themselves, 
lost seven or eight hundred men, and their artillery and 
trains. 

A season of comparative quiet now followed, during 
which, however, General Grant was by no means idle ; 
and his men experienced that most uncomfortable of all 
service which falls to a soldier's lot, "life in the trenches," 
under the blistering sun and amid smothering dust, 
listening to the constant and monotonous rifle-crack, the 
shriek of shells, and the deep boom of siege-guns ; while, 
if a head or a hand is raised above the trench, it is liable 
to feel the bullet of the sharpshooter. But during this 
month of tedious waiting, far more repulsive to the sol- 
dier than actual fighting, good solid work had been done. 
A mine had been constructed, starting from in front of 
Bum side's corps toward a formidable rebel fort which 
stood about two thousand yards from Petersburg. This 
mine, which was five hundred feet long, and contained 
four tons of powder, was conducted with such secrecy 
as to have totally escaped the notice of the enemy. When 
all was ready, the Second Corps, together with Sheridan's 
cavalry, starting from the extreme left of the Union lines, 
crossed the James on pontoons muffled with hay, and 
struck the enemy at Strawberry Plains, only twelve miles 
from Richmond, capturing a battery and line of in- 
trenchments. As had been expected, Lee hurried off 



HIS CAMPAIGNS AXD BATTLES. 481 

from Petersburg a force of fifteen thousand men to meet 
this unexpected onset, and as lie did so, the Union force 
slipped stealthily back, by night, July 27th, 28th, and 
29th, to the front of Petersburg. At sunrise of the 30th 
the mine was exploded, and in a second of time, the fort 
with its garrison of two hundred men, guns, etc., was 
gone, and in its place was a yawning crater full of debris, 
smoke, dust, and dead and dying men. Before the sound 
of the explosion had died away, a hundred Union guns 
concentrated their terrible fire upon the rebel lines, and 
an assaulting column rushed forward to enter the breach. 
Precious time was lost, however; the assault was fiercely 
made, but stubbornly resisted, and, after desperate fight- 
ing until about noon, the Union forces were obliged to 
withdraw, with a loss of four thousand men, killed, 
wounded, and missing; that of the enemy being but one 
thousand. Disappointed, yet not disheartened, by the 
failure of this plan, General Grant continued his opera- 
tions with renewed energy, and on the 12th of August 
occurred the battle of Deep Bottom, in which the gallant 
Second Corps dislodged the enemy from his position, 
capturing five hundred prisoners, six cannon, and two 
mortars. On the 18th, the Federal forces captured and 
held the Weldon Eailroad at Eeam's Station, but on the 
following day the right center of their line was suddenly 
attacked, and cut by a powerful rebel column, but ral- 
lied, and, with the aid of reinforcements, regained and 
held, in spite of two other attacks (on the 21st and 25th) 
a part of the road, although sustaining a total loss of nine 
thousand men. For the next five weeks there was no 
action of great importance ; but on the 28th of Septem- 
ber, General Grant again made one of his favorite stra- 
tegic movements of covering an intended attack on his 
left, by a strong feint of attack on the right. In this 



482 GE2TEEAL GEANT. 

case, the feint on the right became a more important 
action than the one it was intended . to cover. The 
Eighteenth Corps, under General Ord, crossing the James, 
attacked, on the morning of the 19th, the rebel lines at 
Chaffin's Farm, and carried a strong earthwork, named 
Fort Harrison, with the lines of intrenchments, its gnns, 
and two or three hundred prisoners, with a loss to the 
Union force of some eight hundred. Simultaneously, 
General Birney carried the rebel intrenchments on the 
Newmarket Eoad, with ease, and the Union troops then 
advanced to Laurel Hill. On the 30th, a desperate at- 
tempt, on the part of the rebels, to recapture Fort Har- 
rison, was repulsed, and on the 1st of October, the Federal 
cavalry, under Generals Terry and Kautz, made a recon- 
naissance within less than two miles of the rebel capital. 
On the 7th of October, the rebels made an attempt, at 
first successful, to turn the right flank of the Army of 
the James ; but, after severe fighting, were repulsed with 
heavy loss. 

The experience of the past summer — during which 
General Early had " raided " into Maryland and Penn- 
sylvania, supplied Lee's army with provisions, and threat- 
ened "Washington itself — had shown conclusively that the 
division of the Shenandoah Valley and Western Vir- 
ginia, Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, 
into separate Military Departments had been productive 
of much inefficiency, and of much of the disaster which 
had attended the operations of the Federal troops in that 
section. And, in August, 1864, at General Grant's sug- 
gestion, the whole territory lying between that in which 
the Armies of the James and the Potomac were operat- 
ing, and that of the Military Division of the Missis- 
sippi, was consolidated into a new department known as 
the Middle Military Division, or, as it is better known, 



HIS CAMPAIGN'S AND BATTLES. 483 

the Department of the Shenandoah. And at General 
Grant's suggestion, also, the command of the new Division 
was given to General Philip II. Sheridan, avIio speedily 
concentrated his whole available force in the Valley of 
the Shenandoah, and made such effective arrangements as 
would prevent General Early from his favorite pastime 
of sweeping thence down upon the fertile farming regions 
of Maryland and Pennsylvania. Early at first endeavored 
to lure Sheridan into the valley by a feigned retreat, 
hoping that at the right moment he might successfully 
flank him, and swoop down again upon his beloved 
foraging grounds. Sheridan, however, while seeming to 
take the bait thus offered him, watched his opportunity, 
and, finally, on the 19th of September, at Oquequaa 
Creek, met and drove the rebel general from the field in 
dire confusion, capturing a large number of guns, and 
over two thousand prisoners. Again, at Fisher's Hill, on 
the 22d, he routed them, " man and horse," and pursued 
them as far as Staunton; and then, on the 9th October, 
repulsed General Eosser, who had ventured to attack 
him there. On the 19th of October, availing himself of 
Sheridan's absence at Washington, General Early attacked 
the Union army near Cedar Creek, and routed them for 
a distance of three miles, capturing their cannon, camps, 
and fortified positions. Sheridan, coming again into the 
field, met his retreating soldiers at Winchester. Instantly 
he comprehended the state of affairs. Putting spurs to his 
horse, he galloped like a whirlwind up the road toward 
the enemy, " swinging his cap, and shouting to the strag- 
glers, ' Face the other way, boys — we are going back to 
our camps. We are going to lick them out of their 
boots.' The effect was magical; the wounded by the 
roadside it' sed their voices to shout; the fugitives, but 
now hurrying forward to Winchester, turned about at 



484 GENERAL GRANT. 

sight of him who had always led them to victory, and 
followed him back to the battle-ground as hounds follow 
their master." Beaching the main army, he rallied his 
men, re-formed his lines, defeated and utterly routed 
the rebels, and captured fifty-four guns, including all 
which he had lost during the morning. 

Sherman, meanwhile, had possessed himself of Atlanta, 
and had commenced his great " March to the Sea," which 
closed with the surrender of Savannah. Thomas had 
taken care of Hood who was exploiting in Tennessee and 
Alabama, and was giving him " his hands full." 

To return, however, to the Army of the Potomac ; on 
the 29th of October, a reconnaissance in force was made 
against the rebel position at Hatcher's Ban, which re- 
sulted in a severe battle and heavy losses to the Union 
side, though they held the position as long as it was 
deemed to be necessary. 

The capture of Wilmington, N. C, now became a mat- 
ter of paramount necessity to the Government. Its 
peculiar situation, together with its formidable defences, 
had long set at defiance all attempts at an effectual 
blockade ; and it was, in fact, the channel through which 
the Bebel Confederacy received the greater part of its 
supplies of cannon, small arms, munitions of war, cloth- 
ing, and dry goods, while from it escaped a very consider- 
able amount of cotton which was gladly received by 
English merchants in payment for these goods. General 
Grant now devised an expedition under command of 
General Butler and Bear- Admiral Porter, which set sail 
on the 12th of December, and, having all arrived off New 
Inlet, a terrific bombardment was opened by the fleet, on 
Fort Fisher, on the 24th, wbich lasted from noon until 
nightfall, with no appreciable injury to the fort. On the 
following evening (25th) a joint attack was to be made, 



HIS CAMPAIGNS AKD BATTLES. 485 

the troops attacking the fort on its land face, and the 
fleet bombarding its seaward front. Upon landing the 
troops, however, General Weitzel, after carefully survey- 
ing the fort, reported to General Butler that " it would 
be butchery to order an assault," in which opinion Butler 
coincided, and, convinced that nothing but a regular siege 
would effect the reduction of the fort, re-embarked his 
men, to the great dissatisfaction of Admiral Porter. On 
his return he was, at the instance of General Grant, 
relieved of the command of the Army of the James, and 
a new expedition was immediately fitted out, the com- 
mand of the troops being given to General A. H. Terry, 
of the Army of the James ; the naval co-operating force 
being, as before, commanded by Admiral Porter. This 
expedition arrived off New Inlet, and the troops em- 
barked on the 13th of January, 1865, under cover of a 
bombardment which was, for its rapidity and weight of 
metal, the most extraordinary on record, throwing into 
Fort Fisher four shots per second, for an hour and a half 
On the 15th, under cover of a similar heavy fire from the 
fleet, sixteen hundred sailors and four hundred marines 
landed and charged upon the seaward face of the fort, 
while an assaulting column of troops attacked its land 
side. From half-past 3 p.m. until midnight, raged a 
deadly, determined hand-to-hand fight; but finally the 
Union troops were victorious. The loss of the fort was 
followed by the destruction of Forts Caswell and Camp- 
bell, blown up by the rebels on the 16th; and they also 
abandoned other defensive works, and two rebel gun- 
boats. Five or six blockade-runners were enticed into 
the hands of the fleet, and made prizes ; and the evacua- 
tion of Fort Anderson, fifteen miles above Fort Caswell, 
on the 19th, wna speedily followed, on the 21st, by the 
surrender of Wilmington. Immense stores of supplies, 



486 GE1STEEAL GItANl. 

arms, artillery, etc., etc., were the fruits of this expedition, 
by which, at last, the Confederacy was deprived of its 
most important port of entry and exit. 

On the 6th of February, another movement was or- 
dered on Hatcher's Run, with four corps of the army, 
for the purpose of bringing, the Union lines nearer to 
the Weldon Railroad. The struggle was a desperate one, 
and on the second day the enemy broke through a gap 
in the Union lines; but the ground thus lost was re- 
gained the next day by the Union soldiers who estab- 
lished themselves firmly four miles in advance of their 
previous position. On the 25th of March, the rebels 
suddenly massed against Fort Steadman, near Peters- 
burg, and captured it, together with its garrison. The 
Union troops, however, rallied, retook it, and drove the 
enemy back, and beyond their own lines, a portion of 
which were finally gained, and held by an advance of the 
Sixth and Second Corps. 

On the 29th, General Grant put his army in motion 
for the purpose of occupying the Southside Railroad; 
and with this view, General Sheridan's cavalry force 
(which only three days before had returned from a great 
raid) was sent to Dinwiddie Court-House, via Ream's 
Station. 

His object was to threaten the Southside Railroad in 
the neighborhood of Burkesville Junction, and so compel 
Lee to send out a force for its protection ; while the 
Second and Fifth Corps were to cross Hatcher's Run by 
the Vaughan and Halifax roads, and secure the possession 
of the Boydton plank-road. The Sixth and Ninth Corps 
were moved westward to connect with the new lines thus 
to be formed, and portions of the Twenty-Fourth and 
Twenty-Fifth Corps, under General Ord, were brought 
from the Aimy of the James, and stationed across the 



HIS CAMPAIGNS A1STD BATTLES. 487 

river along the line of the Vaughan road, thus maintain- 
ing the connection between the Sixth and Second Corps. 
These movements were executed on the 29th and 30th 
with but little fighting, and the enemy was discovered 
to be strongly intrenched at Five Forks, a good position 
about six miles west of the crossing of Hatcher's Run, 
by the Boydton plank-road, and also at White Oak 
road, the route of approach to Five Forks from the east. 
On the 31st, two divisions, of the Fifth Corps attempted 
to advance on this road, but were heavily attacked and 
fell back in some disorder upon Griffin's division of the 
same corps. Here a division of the Second Corps flanked 
the enemy and drove him back, and the Fifth Corps, ral- 
lying under General Griffin's leadership, regained by sun- 
set the position they had lost in the morning. But 
during this temporary repulse of the Union troops, the 
rebel commanders had availed themselves of the oppor- 
tunity which it presented, to fling their force furiously 
upon Sheridan's cavalry, then to the westward of Din- 
widdie. At one time, Merritt's division was cut off from 
the main body, and the entire force was in great danger; 
but General Sheridan finally succeeded in checking the 
enemy's advance ; then, dismounting his men in front of 
Dinwiddie Court-House, behind temporary barricades, he 
gave desperate battle to the foe until nightfall, when the 
darkness compelled the combatants on both sides to rest 
upon their arms. Sheridan had been notified by General 
Grant, that Gen. G. K. Warren had been directed to 
report to him with his corps (the Fifth) at midnight of 
the 31st, and his arrival was anxiously awaited by the 
gallant cavalry general, who proposed to attack the enemy 
early on the following day, and carry the Five Forks by 
assault. But Warren did not appear, and at 3 a.m. of 
April 1st, Sheridan requested him, by note, to attack the 



488 GENERAL GRANT. 

rebel force then in his front, in the rear, by daylight, and 
he would at the same time attack them in front. From 
General Warren there came neither answer nor attack. 
Sheridan, however, assaulted them at the time appointed, 
drove them across Chamberlain's Creek, and finally, by 
7 or 8 o'clock, met Warren's advance a few miles north 
of Dinwiddie. Directing him to await orders, he pushed 
on with his own force, to surround two sides of the rebel 
position at Five Forks ; and, a little after mid-day, ordered 
up Warren and his Fifth Corps, to attack on the east 
side. Warren's movements, however, were so apparently 
reluctant and indifferent, that, although the attack was 
a brilliant success, he was relieved from his command, 
which was given to Gen. Griffin. The next day a division 
of the Second and two from the Fifth Corps drove the 
enemy from a strong position at the junction of the 
White Oak and Claiborne roads, pursuing them to Suth- 
erland's Station on the South side Railroad, and thence 
along the river road on the banks of the Appomattox. 

The news of this glorious and decisive victory of 
Five Forks reached General Grant's headquarters at 
nine o'clock at night; and ere long a general can- 
nonade was opened against Petersburg all along the 
front of the Union lines, raging without cessation un- 
til four o'clock in the morning. Then, before dawn of 
April 2d, a heavy assaulting column pushed forward 
upon the enemy's works, and after a terrible struggle 
succeeded in capturing two of the rebel forts, and reached 
the Southside Railroad which they commenced to tear 
up, capturing also many prisoners and guns. This was 
a day of wide-spread, shifting, uncertain fighting all 
around the lines— a day of indescribable tumult, uproar, 
and blood ; but when it closed, the fate of Richmond and 
Petersburg was sealed. They were no longer tenable. 



HIS CAMPAIGNS AND BATTLES. 489 

Their only remaining line of communication and of 
supply was severed ; starvation threatened them. The 
positions taken by the Federal troops commanded the 
city, and a third of their brave army of defense were ren- 
dered hors du combat. 

General Lee ordered the immediate evacuation of the 
two cities which he could no longer defend, and upon 
which his longer presence could only bring more certain 
destruction. Both were abandoned during the night, and 
on the morning of the 3d of April, 18G5, the " Old Flag" 
waved in triumph above these strongholds of rebeldom, 
and the glad news went out on the Avings of the light- 
ning to the furthermost parts of the Union and to the 
world. 

But General Grant delayed not a moment to enter the 
captured cities. Pursuit, remorseless and unremitting, 
followed the panic-stricken foe, whose retreat became a 
rout, and whose little courage oozed rapidly out beneath 
the repeated blows which the Union troops dealt them at 
Deep Creek, Paine's Cross Eoads, Deatonsville, Farmville, 
the High Bridge over the Appomattox, and Appomattox 
Station, at each of which places artillery, wagons, arms, 
and supplies, were cast madly away by the rebels. But 
the " boys in blue," rushed on like a whirlwind, without 
attempting even to count the prisoners or gather up the 
spoils of the day. 

The battles at Deatonville and Painesville (Gth and 7th) 
left Lee no alternative but surrender ; and on the latter day 
General Grant sent to his antagonist the following brief 
but characteristic demand : 

April 7, 1865. 
General R. E. Lee, Commander, C. S. A. : 

General : The result of the last week must convince you of the 
hopelessness of further resistance on the part of the army of North- 



490 GENERAL GRANT. 

ern Virginia in this struggle. I feel that is so, and regard it as my 
duty to shift from myself the responsibility of any further effusion 
of blood, by asking of you the surrender of that portion of the C. 
S. Army known as the Army of Northern Virginia. 

Very respectfully, your obeiient servant, 

U. S. Gkant, 
Lieutenant-General Commanding Armies of the United States. 

To this, General Lee, under same date, replied, inquir- 
ing the terms upon which he was expected to surrender ; to 
which Gen. Grant, on the 8th, replied that, "as peace 
was his first desire," he should insist upon but one condi- 
tion ; viz., " That the men surrendered shall be disqualified 
from taking up arms against the Government of the United 
States until properly exchanged." But Grant lost no 
time in talking. While he was thus corresponding with 
Lee, he was vigorously pushing that chieftain "to the 
wall." On the morning of the 8th, General Meade's col- 
umn, accompanied by Gen. Grant, followed the retreating 
rebels north of the Appomsitos, skirmishing with the 
enemy's rearguard, but unable to bring it to any general 
engagement : and General Sheridan's whole cavalry force 
marched toward Appomattox Station, closely followed by 
General Ord's command and the Fifth Corps, and late in 
the evening reached the railroad, there capturing twenty- 
five guns, a hospital train, and four trains of cars loaded 
with supplies for Lee's army. On the evening of this day, 
the Lieutenant-Genqral received a communication from 
Lee, stating that he did not intend to surrender his army, 
but wished to know how far General Grant's propositions 
for an interview would tend to the " restoration of peace." 
To this General Grant sent, on the 9th, the following an- 
swer : " As I have no authority to treat on the subject of 
peace, the meeting proposed for 10 a.m., to-day, could lead 
to no good. I will state, however, General, that 1 am 



HIS CAMPAIGNS AND BATTLES. 491 

equally anxious for peace with yourself; and the whole 
North entertain the same feeling. The terms upon which 
peace can be had are well understood. By the South 
laying down their arms they will hasten that most desir- 
able event, save thousands of human lives, and hundreds 
of millions of property not yet destroyed. Sincerely hop- 
ing that all our difficulties may be settled without the loss 
of another life, I subscribe myself," &c. Having dis- 
patched this reply, Grant immediately started for Sheri- 
dan's headquarters at Appomattox Station, before reaching 
which, however, he received from Lee, who was now fully 
convinced that escape was impossible, a request for an 
interview with reference to the proposed surrender. On 
the 9th, Lee received the following " terms " of capitula- 
tion from General Grant : 

" Kolls of all the officers and men to be made in dupli- 
cate, one copy to be given to an officer designated by me, 
the other to be retained by such officers as you may 
designate. 

" The officers to give their individual paroles not to 
take up arms against the United States until properly 
exchanged, and each company or regimental commander 
to sign a like parole for the men of their commands. 

" The arms, artillery, and public property to be parked 
and stacked, and turned over to the officers appointed by 
me to receive them. This will not embrace the side- 
arms of the officers, nor their private horses or baggage. 

"This done, each officer and man will be allowed to 
.return to their homes, not to be disturbed by United States 
authority so long as they observe their parole and the 
laws in force where they reside." 

These terms were accepted by the rebel commander, 
and the surrender was effected on the same day, to the 
great joy of both armies, and with the greatest delicacy 



492 GENERAL GRANT. 

and consideration on the part of the victors, toward the 
vanquished. The number of troops surrendered by Lee 
was twenty-two thousand, and they were nearly in a 
starving condition. The Union troops, whose rapid pur- 
suit of their now conquered enemy had prevented them 
from carrying but a scanty supply of food, eagerly divided 
the Utile which they had among the " gray-backs," and 
were content to go hungry for several hours until fresh 
supplies could reach them. 

The surrender thus perfected, General Grant without 
passing through Richmond, hastened to Washington, 
where, on the 13th of April, he established his head- 
quarters ; and by his advice a dispatch was flashed over 
the Northern States, by telegraph, announcing four im- 
portant facts which assured the country that the rebel- 
lion was virtually ended, and that the reign of peace, 
law, and order had re-commenced; viz., 1, that all 
drafting and recruiting in the loyal States would be im- 
mediately stopped; 2, that Governmental expenses for 
arms, supplies, etc., were to be curtailed; 3, that the 
number of general and staff-officers was to be reduced to 
the actual necessities of the service; and, 4, that all 
military restrictions upon trade and commerce would be 
removed as far as might be consistent with the public 
safety. On the following day (April 14th) the General 
took the cars to visit his family at Burlington, New Jer- 
sey, but was overtaken en route by the terrible intelli- 
gence of the assassination of President Lincoln, and the 
attempt upon Secretary Seward's life— and hastily re- 
turned to Washington. As was afterward proved at the 
trial of the conspirators, his own life had been marked 
out as a sacrifice to their fiendish hate. 

Meanwhile, the important movements which his com- 
prehensive mind had inaugurated for the more effectual 



HIS CAMPAIGNS AND BATTLES. 



403 



crushing out of the rebellion in various parts of the 
country? had been vigorously pushed forward to a suc- 
cessful consummation, through the fidelity and skill of 
the brave and able commanders to whom they had been 
respectively intrusted. Sherman's famous sixty days 
Campaign in th • Carolinas had resulted in the surrender 
of Charleston, and the capture of Columbia, Chevaw, 
Fayetteville— and, after his junction with Generals Scho- 
field Terry (who had taken Wilmington), and Golds- 
borou-h-of Smithfield and Raleigh, until he now dic- 
tated terms of surrender to Johnston. General Thomas 
and his lieutenants in the West had clone their work 
thoroughly; General Wilson and his cavalry force cap- 
turing Selma, Montgomery, Columbus (Ga.), West 
Point, Macon; aid being sent to the Army of the De- 
partment of the Gulf; Schofield and his Army of the 
Ohio taking a part in the capture of Wilmington ; and 
Stoneman, with a heavy column of cavalry, being smt 
through South-western Virginia and Western North Caro- 
lina to hem in and attack Johnston and Lee in the rear, 
which was effected by their breaking up the Virginia 
and East Tennessee Railroad, the capture of Salisbury, 
and the liberation of all the Union prisoners conhn A 
there At the South-west, General Canby and Admiral 
Thatcher had captured Spanish Fort, Blakely, and Mo- 
bile, after a two weeks' siege. 

Sherman, meanwhile, had been negotiating with Gen- 
eral Johnston for the surrender of that portion of the 
rebel army ; and in a few days the Cabinet at Washington 
received from him a memorandum of the erraagement 
made to that effect between him and the Confederate 
leader The Cabinet, who were called together to 
consider it, deemed its provisions to be somewhat too 
liberal, and that it exceeded the powers belonging to 



494 GENERAL GRANT. 

General Sherman ; and, in the then highly excited con- 
dition of the public mind, it was everywhere received 
with surprise, and even distrust of the gallant general 
from whom it proceeded. General Grant, however, who 
knew General Sherman thoroughly, saw that the error 
committed by the latter was one of judgment, not of 
loyalty or ambition. Proceeding immediately, therefore, 
to Raleigh, incognito, he consulted with General Sher- 
man, and gave immediate notice to the rebel commander 
that hostilies would be commenced again within twenty- 
four hours. This brought Johnston to a speedy proposal 
for a surrender on the same terms as those accorded by 
Grant to Lee ; and, on the 26th, the rebel army was sur- 
rendered (by a graceful act of courtesy on General Grant's 
part) to General Sherman. This, with the surrender, a 
few days later, by General Dick Taylor, of the rebel forces 
in Alabama, Mississippi, and East Louisiana, and of Gen- 
Kirby Smith beyond the Mississippi Eiver, closed the 
great American Civil War. 

Having settled the Johnston surrender, General Grant 
returned to Washington, and, a few clays later, had the 
pleasure of receiving the news of the capture of the rebel 
President, Jeff. Davis. Then, for the first time, he found 
opportunity to visit his family, and returning from there 
on the 3d of May, took possession of the splendid man- 
fiion on West Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, which had 
been purchased by the citizens of that place, at a cost of 
$30,000, and presented to him as an evidence of their 
appreciation of his military skill and patriotic services. 
Returning to Washington he was present — the admired 
of all beholders — at the Grand Review of the returning 
heroes of the Armies of the Republic — a spectacle, which, 
for its grandeur and the impressiveness of its associations, 
has never been equaled upon the Western Continent. 



HIS CAMPAIGNS AND BATTLES. 



495 



The summer months of 18G5 were occupied by the 
General in the discharge of the wearisome but necessary 
duties of his office, and in flying visits to New York, 
Canada, the Eastern States, and the West. Everywhere 
he was the idolized object of a nation's respect and ad- 
miration ; every community and municipality vied with 
the other in honoring the patriot and the successful sol- 
dier. At Galena, Illinois, his old home at the time he 
offered his services to the country, he was received with 
the most touching evidences of the respect and love of 
his former neighbors, who presented to him a beautiful 
residence, on one of the most beautiful hills near that 
city, at a cost, including furniture, of $16,000, and to 
which, after the public reception was ended, he and his 
family were driven amid the booming of cannon, and the 
joyous ringing of all the church-bells in the place. On 
the 10th of November, the City of New York, always 
imperial in her courtesies, outdid even herself in the 
magnificence of a reception and a banquet given at the 
Fifth Avenue Hotel, to the greatest soldier of the age. 

In the quiet, but faithful discharge of his onerous and 
varied duties as Commander-in-Chief of the Army of the 
United States, he passed the even tenor of his way, until 
the summer of 1867. During that season the Johnson- 
Stanton imbroglio culminated in an open rupture between 
the President and his Secretary of War, the latter of 
whom, on the 5th of August, was requested by the Exec- 
utive, to resign. This Stanton declined to do until the 
next meeting of Congress ; whereupon President John- 
son directed General Grant to take the position of Acting 
Secretary of War, and to assume its duties immediately. 
To this Secretary Stanton submitted, under protest, and 
Grant assumed the functions of the Secretaryship ad 
interim. Later in the month, General Grant, in reply to 



496 GENERAL GRANT. 

a request for his opinion upon an order which President 
Johnson had drawn up, removing General Sheridan and 
Sickles from command of the military districts of Lou- 
isiana and Carolina, frankly entered his protest against 
the execution of said order, in a letter to the President, 
of which the following is a portion : 

" I earnestly urge, in the name of a patriotic people who 
have sacrificed hundreds of thousands of loyal lives, and 
thousands of millions of treasure, to preserve the integ- 
rity and union of this country, that this order be not 
insisted on. It is unmistakably the expressed wish of 
the country that General Sheridan should not be removed 
from his present command. This is a republic, where 
the will of the people is the law of the land. I beg that 
their voice may be heard. General Sheridan has per- 
formed his civil duties faithfully and intelligently. His 
removal will be regarded as an effort to defeat the laws of 
Congress. It will be interpreted by the unreconstructed 
element in the South — those who did all they could to 
break up this Government by arms, and now wish to be 
the only element consulted as to the method of restoring 
order — as a triumph. It will embolden them to renewed 
opposition to the will of the masses, believing that they 
have the Executive with them." 

He referred to a " private " letter which he had previ- 
ously addressed Mr. Johnson on the subject, and closed 
with the assertion that " there are military reasons, 
pecuniary reasons, and above all, patriotic reasons, why 
this order should not be insisted upon." To this the 
President replied at great length, defining his own views 
and position, and the matter remained in abeyance for 
ten days. Aside from this difference of opinion between 
the two, as to the policy of issuing the order in question, 
there seems to have been a difference, also, as to their 



L 



HIS CAMPAIGNS AND BATTLES. 497 

respective authority in the matter, General Grant believ- 
ing that, according to the law of Congress, the assignment 
of military commanders belonged to him, while the Pres- 
ident claimed that it was vested in him as Commander- 
in-Chief of the Army and Navy. Finally, however, on 
the 26th of August, General Grant yielded to Mr. John- 
son, and the obnoxious order (which, meantime, had been 
somewhat modified from its original form) was issued, 
making several changes in the commanders of the differ- 
ent districts. But the end of this matter was not yet. 

Meanwhile, there were numerous evidences of a grow- 
ing disposition on the part of the People to nominate 
General Grant for the highest office in their gift— the 
Presidential Chair. 

; Although frequently spoken of by the press, and con- 
sidered by the mass of the community as " the coming 
man," it was not until December, 1867, that the popular 
wish found a definite expression. On the 4th of that 
month he was formally nominated for the Presidency, on 
the platform of his success as a general, and his official 
record, by a very large meeting of the rich and represent- 
ative men of New York City, headed by A. T. Stewart, 
William B. Astor, Hamilton Fish, Moses Taylor, Corne- 
lius Vanderbilt, F. B. Cutting, Jacob A Westervilt, Peter 
Cooper, James Brown, and Moses H. Grinnell. The 
nomination was taken up with enthusiasm by the loyal 
men, both North and South, and the General was immedi- 
ately besieged by politicians and wire-pullers, and became 
the object of innumerable questionings and stratagems, 
designed to make him commit himself to one party 
or the other. The imperturbable reticence which we 
have already noticed as a remarkable characteristic, has 
thus far foiled all such attempts, and he has simply 
"minded his own business," apparently the least con- 



498 GENERAL GRANT. 

cerned, among all the busy throng, as to who shall be the 
next President of the United States. 

On the 12th of December the President transmitted 
to Congress a communication setting forth and defending 
his reasons for superseding Secretary Stanton. After a 
long and exhaustive examination of the whole matter, 
that body refused, January 13th, 1868, by a majority of 
35 to 6, to concur in the action of the Executive. Mr. 
Stanton, therefore, resumed his office as Secretary of 
War, General Grant voluntarily vacating the position 
which he had held ad interim. On the 14th of January, 
General Grant wrote to the President, requesting a rep- 
etition, in writing, of a verbal order given by him five 
days before, by which orders from Mr. Stanton were to 
be disregarded until they were known, from the Presi- 
dent himself, to be Ms orders. The answer to this left 
Grant in such doubt as to the President's intentions, that, 
on the 28th he repeated his request for a written order. 
There then followed a lengthy and somewhat per- 
sonal correspondence between the President and the Gen- 
eral, in which the former charged the latter with having 
violated an understanding between the two, to the effect 
that Grant, in case of Stanton's reinstatement by Con- 
gress, should, acting by the President's orders, refuse to 
vacate the office of Secretary of War, or, if he did so, 
should give the Executive such preliminary notice as 
would enable him to appoint a successor. The General, 
on the contrary, denied that any such understanding had 
ever existed on his part ; admitting that he had, when 
first consulted by the President in regard to the matter, 
expressed an opinion that Mr. Stanton would have to 
appeal to the courts to reinstate him ; but that a subse- 
quent examination of the tenure-of-office bill had con- 
vinced him that he could not, without violation of the 



_J 



HIS CAMPAIGNS AND BATTLES. 499 

law, refuse to vacate the office of Secretary of War, as 
soon as Mr. Stanton was reinstated by the Senate, and 
had notified the President to that effect. He boldly 
affirmed, in the course of the correspondence, that the 
course which the President desired to have him fol- 
low, and asserted, indeed, that he had agreed to follow, 
" was in violation of the law, and that without orders 
from the President; while the course he did pursue, 
and which he never doubted the Pre sident fully under- 
stood, was in accordance with law, and not in disobe- 
dience to any orders of his superior." He added, also, 
" when my honor as a soldier, and integrity as a man, have 
been so violently assailed, pardon me for saying that I can 
but regard this whole matter, from beginning to end, as an 
attempt to involve me in the resistance of law, for which 
you hesitated to assume the responsibility in orders, and 
thus to destroy my character before the country. I am 
in a measure confirmed in this conclusion by your recent 
orders directing me to disobey orders from the Secretary 
of War, my superior and your subordinate." To this the 
President replied, reiterating his previous charges." This 
the General, under date of February 11th, emphatically 
denied, and the whole correspondence being brought before 
Congress, formed the basis of a proposition made to the 
House Committee on Eeconstruction, by Hon. Thaddeus 
Stevens, for a resolution of impeachment of- the Presi- 
dent. The proposition was at that time laid upon the 
table ; but, in consequence of the subsequent attempt 
of Mr. Johnson to remove Stanton from office, and 
appoint General Lorenzo Thomas, Secretary of War ad 
interim, it was revived on the 22d of February, by the 
House Committee on Eeconstruction, in the shape of a 
formal resolution of impeachment which was carried to 
its final issue in the great trial recently concluded. 



CHRONOLOGY OF GENERAL GRANT'S LIFE. 



1822 to 1868. 



1822. 
1839. 
1843. 



1843-44. 
1844-45. 

1845-46. 

1845. 



1846. 
1847. 



1847. 
to 
1848. 
1848-49. 



1S49. 

to 

1853. 



1853. 
1854. 



April 27th. — Ulysses S. Grant, born at Point Pleasant, 
Clermont County, Ohio. 

July 1st — Enters as cadet at U. S. Military Academy at 
West Point. 

July 1st — Graiauted from the Military Academy, twenty- 
first in his class ; and promoted Brevet Second Lieu- 
tenant, 4th U. S. Infantry. 

Served in garrison at Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis, Mo. 

Served on frontier duty at " Camp Salubrity," Natchi- 
toches, La 

Served in the military occupation of Texas. 

September 30th. — Commissioned Second Lieutenant, 
4th U. S. Infantry, in regular course of promotion. 

WAR WITH MEXICO, 1846-1848. 

May 8th. — Engaged in battle of Palto Alto. 

May 9th. — Engaged in battle of Resaca de la Palma. 

Sept. 21st-23d. — Engaged in battle of Monterey. 

March 9th to 29th. — Took part in the siege of Vera Cruz. 

April 17th-18th. — Engaged in battle of Cerro Gordo. 

August 20th. — Engaged in capture of San Antonio. 

" " — Engaged in battle of Clierubusco. 
September 8th. — Engaged in battle of Molina del Rey, 
and brevetted First Lieutenant, for gallantry therein. 
September 13th. — At storming of Chapultepec, and for 

gallant conduct, brevetUd Captain. 
September 13th-14th. — Engaged in the assault and cap- 
ture of the city of Mexico. 
April 1st, ) Served as Quartermaster 4th U. S. Infantry, 
[- promoted in regular course to F.rst Lieo- 
July 23d. ) tenant of said regiment, Sept. 16, 1847. 
Served in garrison at Sackett's Harbor, N. Y. 

' Served as Quartermaster of his regi- 
ment in garrison at Detroit, Mich., 
September 11th, 1849-50 ; Sackett's Harbor, N. Y., 

1 1811-1852 ; Fort Columbus, N. Y., 
September 30th. 1852 ; Benecia, Cal., 1852 ; and on 

frontier, at Columbia Barracks, Ore- 
1 gon, 1852-53. 
On duty at Fort Vancouver, Oregon. 
On duty at Fort Humboldt, California. 
August 5th. — Promoted Captain, 4th U. S. Infantry, and 
July 3ist. — Resigned his commission in the army. 



i 



CHRONOLOGY OP GENERAL GRANT'S LIFE. 501 

CIVIL HISTORY, 1854-1861. 

1854-59. Farmer near St. Louis, Mo. 
1859-60. Agent at St. Louis, Mo. 
1860-61. Leather merchant at Galena, HI. 

WAR OP THE REBELLION, 1861-1866. 

1861. April to May.— In command of a company of Illinois vol- 
unteers. 
May to June 17th.— Asssisted (in the Adjutant-General's 

office of Illinois) in organizing and mustering Illinois 

Volunteers into the service. 
June 17th. — Commissioned Colonel of 21st Regiment 

Illinois Volunteers, and Brigadier-General of U. S. 

Volunteers, dating from May 17th, 1861, and from 
June 17th to August 7th.— Marched to Quincv, 111., and 

guarded the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. 
August 7th to 17th.— In command of Iron ton, Mo. 
August 17th to 29th.— In command of Jefferson City, Mo. 
(September 1st to February 17th, 1862.— In command of 

the District of South- Western Missouri, head-quarters 

at Cape Girardeau, Mo., and subsjquently extended to 

to embrace Southern Illinois and Western Kentucky, 

with headquarters at Cairo. Illinois.) 
September 2d.— Engaged in siege of Paducah, 111. 
November 7th.— Battle of Belmont, Mo. 

1862. January 10th to 12th.— Engaged in reconoissance into 

W estern Kentucky. 
February 2d-6th.— In operations against Fort Henry 

Tenn. 
February 13th to 16th.— Investment and capture of Fort 

Donelson, with 14,623 prisoners. 
February 16th, to July 4th, 1863.— Commissioned Major- 

General of U. S. Volunteers. 
April 6th and 7th.— In battle of Shiloh. 
April 10th to May 30th.— In siege of Corinth, commanded 

the right wing and reserve of Major-General Halleck's 

army. 
October 3d and 4th— Engaged in the battle of Corinth, 

and 
.October 5th —The battle of Hatchie. 

October 16th.— In command of the Army of the Tennessee. 
Nov. 4th. — In command of the army of Mississippi. 

1863. January.— Descends Mississippi to Young's Point. 
February and March.— Spent in fruitless attempts to flank 

Vicksburg by Williams' Canal, Yazoo Pass, Steele's 
Bayou, Lake Providence, etc. 
April.— Advance to Bruinsburg, and flanking of Grand 

Gulf. 
May 1st.— Battle of Port Gibson. 
" 12th. — Battle of Raymond. 
" 14th. — Capture of Jackson, Miss. 
" 16th.— Battle of Chapin's Hill. 



502 



CHRONOLOGY OF GENERAL GRANT'S LIFE. 



18G3. May 17tli.— Fight at the Big Black. 

" 19th and 22d. — Assaults on Vicksburgh. 
May 22d to July 4th.— Siege of Vicksburgh until its sur- 
render, on latter date, with stores, and garrison of 
31,500 men. 
July 4th.— Commissioned Major-General in the Uni- 
ted States Army. 
July 16th. — Re-occupies Jackson, Miss., forcing the rebel 
army under General J. E. Johnson to retreat beyond 
Brandon, Miss. 
August 23d to September 2d. -flakes a tour of inspection 

from Cairo, 111., to Natchez, Vliss. 
(From October 16th, 1863, to March 2d, 1864, is in com 
mand of the Military Division of the Mississippi, in- 
cluding the armies of the Ohio, Cumberland, and Ten- 
nesse) being 
October 23d to November 23d. — Engaged in defense of, 

and operations about Cbattaaooga. 
November 33d to 25th.— Battle of Chatanooga, for which 
victory he received the thanks of Congress, December 
17th, and a gold medal. 
November 26th to 27th. — Pursues the enemy, and makes 
large captures of prisoners. 
18G4. January. — Goes on a tour of inspection. 

March 2d. — Receives his commission as LIEUTENANT- 
GENERAL OF THE U. S. ARMY. 
March 17th. — Assumes command as General-in-Chief. 
(From May 4th to April 9th, 1835, is in the Richmond 
campaign, in immediate command of all the forces in 
the field) in 
May 5th to Gth. — Battle of the Wilderness. 
'• 8th to 21. st. — Battles about Spottsylvania. 
" 21st to 25th. — Battles of North Anna. 
" 27th and 29th.— Battle of Tolopotemy. 
" SOth.— Battle of Bethesda Church. 
June 1st to 13th. — Battles of Cold Harbor. 

" 16th to 18th. — Assaults on Petersburg. 
June 18th, ) Militarv operat i ons a boixt Petersburg, and 
April 3d. j siege of place. 

" 3d to 9th. — Pursuit of the rebel army. 
" 6th.— Bat Me of Sailor's Creek. 
" 9th. — Negotiates with and receives the surrender 
of General Lee's Arniy of Northern Virginia, at Appo- 
mattox C. II. 
(From April 9th to present time, General Grant has com- 
manded the armies of the United States, from Head- 
quarters at Washington, D. C.) 
186'.. Julv 2,1th. -Was commissioned GENERAL OF THE 

U. S. ARMY. 
1S67. August 12th, ) 

to [ Secretary of War, ad interim. 

1868. January 13th.) 



1864. 

to 

1865. 



LEAp-30 



